Question
My newborn is now 16 days old. Upon discharge from the hospital after a normal delivery, their jaundice index reached 16. We have been giving them medication and exposing them to sunlight at home. After finishing the first box of Yinzhi Huang, the test results showed a value of 13. Today, after finishing two boxes, the jaundice index is 9. Do we still need to continue taking the medication?
Answer
Your situation may be physiological jaundice. Mild physiological jaundice is usually light yellow and confined to the face and neck, or may extend to the trunk and conjunctiva, fading away after 2 to 3 days and returning to normal skin color by the 5th to 6th day. Severe cases of jaundice can also spread from head to toe over the entire body, with vomiting and cerebrospinal fluid also becoming yellowed for more than a week. Particularly, some premature infants may continue for up to 4 weeks, with their stools remaining yellow and urine lacking bilirubin. It is recommended to use blue light therapy, which has some effect.