Jaundice

The important thing is that the bilirubin level is followed. The "number" that is concerning depends on the gestaional age (born at term or born earlier) the baby was born at and how many days old the baby is. Higher numbers at lower gestational ages and earlier in life are more concerning. If the doctors are concerned they will but the baby under phototherapy or bili lights. The light waves actually changes the bilirubin in the skin so the baby can get rid of it. Babies who are breast fed tend to have higher levels for a longer period of time - no one knows why and it's not a reason to not breast feed. Breast feeding is still best. This is one of the most common problems in the newborn. It is only potentially dangerious if levels become very high, so it's important to have it followed. Once the levels start to decrease and the baby is not under phototherapy, levels rarely need to be followed.

15 actually isn't bad. My daughter had it for about a week after she was born. She's 4 mos now. Just keep the baby in the sunlight as much as possible and try to feed him more. As long as it's going down and doesn't last too long he will be fine.

Hi! congrats on your grandchild!
All four of my children had jaundice when born...nothing alarming...I nursed all of my children, and by doing so, it may have taken a little longer for it to clear out, but it never did/does anything to the children. The pediatrician will have the baby come back in every couple days if they are concerned, so don't worry!
with jaundice, it is funny because when you look at the baby all day long, you may not see it as well as someone who visits and gets its first glance ( you just think your baby has a nice healthy glow !!)...the tip i learned with baby 3 is in a light room, look closely at their eyes when they move back and forth...look for the white white white eye in the corner..as the jaundice fades the whites of the eyes will take over the eye more...about that time you will notice your baby will be more pink than suntanned pink!

My son was in the hospital for the first week of his life. He had to have a surgery for something totally unrelated. A few days later, they decided to keep him in the hospital because he had jaundice. I think he was at a 16. They had him on phototherapy for a few days. We really wanted to be able to go home so they sent him home but he had to use a billi blanket for a couple of days as well. It's basically phototherapy that he lays on. Also, they sent a nurse to our house to check on his bili levels. He didn't seem to have any effects from it during or after. It is sad to see your baby/grandbaby have to deal with these things but they are strong. Good Luck!

Usually putting the child naked in sunlight, is enough to reduce the level. Avoid mid day sunlight and even through a window is okay if you live in a cold climate. Just make sure the room is warm.

My son was born with Jaundice also his levels did get up to 15. My pediatrician pushed me to nurse him as often as I could he never even suggested formula. My son was tested every couple of days and his levels dropped to normal. He is a robust lovable two year old. he got a little light therapy while he was in the hospital too.

I am not a doctor, but I know from working at an ear clinic that one thing about high jaundice levels is they are associated with hearing impairment in infants. So you might want to request an additional newborn hearing screening (if he has had one already) after the jaundice has resolved to check for this issue.

Good luck

S.

Hi C.,

Congrats on your new grand baby!

I had my daughter 4 weeks early. She was jaundiced,too. I had to take her in every day for a week & have her bilirubin checked. Babies with jaundice can either be making too much bilirubin in their blood or their liver may not be processing the broken down red blood cells fast enough. Since I was not able to breast feed I just made sure that I fed her as often as possible. Basically you want the baby to sort of get this through their systems. I gave her about 2-4 oz of formula 2-3 times a day. It was a bit hard as she hadn't gotten her suckling down yet. I kind of had to drip it in her mouth. By the weeks end she went from an 18 to a 12 which they said was a safe level.
I'm sure the hospital & Docs will do the very best & all will be well!

My daughter was also diagnosed with Jaundice. She was 3 weeks premature and even after insisting that i wanted to breastfeed... the doctors wanted me to supplement with formula.

Once home from the hospital, we had to go every other day to have the test done until it got down below 12. Every time I spoke with the pediatrician he PUSHED me to feed the baby formula.

I did some research on my own and found that several medical websites actually say that formula lowers the jaundice levels quicker than breastmilk. Now of course i don't know that it's true or not... but it seems pretty realistic since her doctor was practically forcing me to give her formula.

Her levels went down within about a week and a half after she was born... but i was doing as the pediatrician was telling me... nurse the baby for 10 minutes on both sides... then try to give her an ounce or two of formula too.

3 months later she is a happy, well developed 14+ pound baby... the only side effect i had was because the hospital started her on formula right away... by 7 weeks old, she outright refused to nurse anymore :(

C. G, I am a mother of 2 and one on the way. Both of my children have been jaundice. They had there heels pricked everyday {after we left the hospital} for about 2 weeks. They had counts of 19 to 20. I was scared with my first child, all the horror stories I heard were awful. Needless to say they had to be on a biliruben light at home 24/7 except during feedings. It eventually went away after about three months. Some Dr.'s said it was an enzyme in my breastmilk, others didn't know. There is not to much to worry about with a count that low. The Dr.'s will monitor it. The story I heard said if it gets up to 23 or above and stays that way for a really long period of time it can cause problems. Don't worry and enjoy your new grandbaby.

You didn't mention how old he was, but if he is a breastfed infant this may be harmless. My second son was jaundiced for several months after birth and had bloodwork done that found nothing wrong with him. Our doctor said it is called "Gilbert Syndrome" when it lasts past the first few weeks and is basically unexplained, non-pathological jaundice in infants. Babies who are breast fed take longer to shake of infant jaundice than bottle-fed babies but know one is sure why. I was a "yellow" baby and there is suggestion of a genetic link.

If the level of bilirubin (what causes jaundice) gets above 20, there may be a possibility of brain damage. The medical term is karnicturus. BUT, that would be rare. Jaundice is very common and as long as the dr. knows to watch out for it, there's not much to worry about. Most times babies are able to process the bilirubin out of their systems themselves at day 3-4. Don't worry!

My daughter was born with Jaundice and her levels were at 18. she had to stay overnight in the hospital and stay in what we called the tanning bed. just make sure you push the fluids and feed him every two hours whether hes hungry or not. we did that with her and the doc said that was the reason she only had to stay one night. also, when she came home, when she slept we always put her bassinet under a bright lamp. the light helps push the jaundice out.

Congratualtions on your new grandson! He is a newborn, and certainly his pediatrician is keeping a close eye. Unfortunately, jaundice is fairly typical in new babies. I think it's because their little systems have to adjust to eliminating toxins outside the womb. The "light" treatments usually work very successfully. I've known babies that had to go back to the hospital even weeks after birth for the treatment. It's not painful at all, for the baby. But being away from home is painful for the new mom and extended family. There are usually no ill after affects. If, God forbid, it is anything more serious, I'm sure the pediatrician will let you know and intercede as medically necessary. You have my sincerest hopes that all will be fine.
Take care!

Hi C.!

Congratualations on your new grandson!

I am not sure how Jaundice affects babies.

But, my youngest son had Juandice when he was an infant, and I was told to get him by the natural light for couple of hours each day. Well, I moved EVERYTHING he laid in by the window to get natural light on his face all day.....even while he slept for his many naps. It shortened the period of time he had Juandice.

So, get him natural light and let him watch the shadows outside the windows. He'll feel better soon.

N.

My 2 daughters were born jaundiced due to the difference in blood types of myself and the babies. The first one was at 18 on the second day and had to do the light therapy. It took he longer to recover from the jaundice and to not be yellow but after the 5th or 6th day her levels began to lower. The second one was at 16 for a week and then it finally began to decrease and she wasn't yellow for nearly as long as the older one! I know it's painful to see them get pricked everyday or two but it's for the best. Be persistent that they check and get back to the mommy or that she calls the office for results.. it's a good time of year to take the baby outside to get some sun for a few minutes as well..

Two of my seven babies had jaundice. The last one who is two months old now got to 18 - she peaked at that point and then it went down. They would have treated her if it got to 19. It takes a couple of weeks for the skin to pink up so don't be discouraged. As long as your grandson is being tested everyday the doctor will know.

my son had jaundice when he was born.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/newborn_jaundice/article_e...

the liver is not efficient enough to clear out billirubin in the body. eventually, it will leave the body via the poop. it will eventually pass and it should cause no other health issues.

My daughter ended up gettig Jaundice also. Her first # was 15.1, her Dr. had us get another test in the morning to see if it was going up or down, it went up to 16.8. She had us go the ER and have them moniter her over night, she just had to sleep under some ultra violet lights. Her # was at 11 the next morning and she is fine now. It is very common for babies to get it, they just need to be under the lights or the Dr. can give you a light blanket to have him sleep on for a night. Also, when your at home you can put him in front of a window with the sun shining on him (just in a diaper)

Hi C.. My daughter developed Jaundice before we left the hospital. I noticed it and asked them to look at her. She didn't come back to the room. Her level of bilirubin was 19.1. They say when you hit the 20's, they really start to worry about brain damage. Oh my,how we worried. But constantly prayed. She was put under the lights 24 hours a day with the exception of the 30 minutes I was allowed to hold her to nurse. We also had to supplement her nursing to make sure that she was getting more than enough fluid. That enabled my husband to be able to hold her as well. I was released from the hospital on Monday, the same day they put her in the NIC ICU. She wasn't released until Friday. They tested her every other day as it was painful to her to be pricked. The steady stream of lights allowed her to sleep while breaking down the bilirubin. Her eyes were covered the whole time except for those 30 minutes. When we had to put her back under the lights she would become agitated when the glasses were put back on, but would settle down shortly after feeling the warmth of the lights.

My son contacted it after we were allowed to go home and they had me sit outside in the son with him every hour for about 35 minutes. His levels were never tested although they did call everyday to have me describe his coloring. After a couple of days in the son, he was fine.

The best advice I can give you for your daughter is to remind her that this is not her fault. There is nothing that she could have done differently. Remind her to just love on her new baby and believe that she will get better and let the caregivers do what they need to do to help her. She will be back to normal in no time.

Hi C., Both of my children had jaundice too. As long as they caught it early there really will be no problem. My first child Billy had a jaundice level of 20.1 and i believe they caught it at 4 days old (usually the 5th day i believe is the "highest day" of jaundice levels). Being that he is my first child i was freaking out. He was very tired, his skin was very yellow, and he wasnt eating (breast feeding). The doctor called me after they drew his blood and told me to rush him to the intensive care unit at Stanford hoispital (where i delivered). They put him into a little lighted machine (looked like a mini tanning booth) where he stayed for the next 3 days before he was able to come home. He was fine! He is now almost 4 years old and is perfect! Then came my daughter 21 months later and she too was diagnosed with a jaundice level of 17. This time they let her stay home but i had to have a mini version of that "tanning booth" delivered to my house where she had to stay for i believe 3 days. As i learned from the hospital jaundice is very common and "fixed" if caught early. It can be dangerous if not caught early and levels pass a certain point. It has to do with blood being processed through the liver. I also know natural sun light is very good for a baby with jaundice and getting them to eat so they can poop and pee it out of them. I hope i helped you a little. Both my children are fine and crazy little monsters. A.