Question
The baby is 37 days old and the jaundice hasn’t gone away. The level has dropped from 14 to 9.6. During this period, breastfeeding was stopped for three days, which brought it down to 7.2. The doctor said we could stop the medication, so we did for five days and today’s test showed it had risen to over nine again. The forehead reading is 9.6, the face is 8.7, the chest is 7.0, and the abdomen is 4.6.
Answer
Newborn jaundice refers to a condition in the neonatal period where an abnormal metabolism of bilirubin leads to elevated bilirubin levels in the blood, resulting in a yellowish discoloration of the skin, mucous membranes, and sclera as a characteristic symptom. This is one of the most common clinical issues in newborns, categorized into physiological and pathological jaundice. Based on the provided information, the child is already 25 days old and the jaundice is still persisting, which may be related to pathological jaundice. For pathological jaundice, blue light therapy treatment is required to promote bilirubin clearance. Additionally, if there was a history of breastfeeding jaundice with the first child, it is best to discontinue breastfeeding for 3-4 days. Note: The article mentions readings for the forehead, face, chest, and abdomen. The meaning of these values needs to be explained and corresponding information should be provided in the answer.