After treating newborn jaundice with blue light therapy, the baby refuses to breastfeed and seems listless. How should parents handle the situation?
Inquire about solutions when a newborn still exhibits jaundice symptoms after 15 days.
If a five-month-old baby’s nose and face turn yellow, it could be jaundice and requires immediate medical examination.
Offer medical advice on how to handle elevated bilirubin levels in newborns
Consider the possibility of breast milk jaundice in your child’s condition. It’s recommended to visit a hospital for a check-up. If stopping breast milk for three days improves the situation, it could be breast milk jaundice. If the bilirubin test shows high levels, it’s advised to seek active treatment.
A full-term baby with low blood sugar during the first six days in the neonatal ward had high jaundice and received blue light therapy, which normalized the jaundice. Now, at 45 days old, ten days ago the baby’s bilirubin level was 13.9, and the baby is taking artichoke extract oral solution and probiotics, but the baby’s face still appears yellow.
For most newborns, jaundice is not a disease and poses no risk. Babies may develop jaundice within 3 days. It is caused by the breakdown of red blood cells in the first few days after birth, producing a pigment called bilirubin, which makes the baby’s skin yellow. Since the liver of a newborn is not fully matured for about a week, it cannot effectively excrete bilirubin, leading to jaundice symptoms.
Jaundice appearing three days after a newborn’s birth may be physiological jaundice. Mild cases usually appear only on the face, neck, or trunk and disappear within 2 to 3 days. Severe cases may affect the entire body, including vomit and cerebrospinal fluid, and may last for more than a week, especially in premature infants, which may persist for up to 4 weeks. Blue light therapy is recommended.
A high jaundice index in newborns can be physiological or pathological, with treatment methods including blue light therapy and enzyme inducers.
What should be done when a newborn exhibits both elevated jaundice and fever symptoms?