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Jaundice: know the causes, signs and how to deal with it

Jaundice: know the causes, signs and how to deal with it

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Have you ever seen or experienced your little one born with yellow skin? This is a condition that is very common in newborns, because of the high levels of bilirubin in the body. This condition is called jaundice or jaundice in babies. The following is an explanation of jaundice in babies.

What is jaundice in babies?

Jaundice or in Indonesia better known as jaundice in infants is a discoloration of the skin and eyes of newborns turning yellow.

Jaundice in infants is common in newborns, especially in premature babies and babies who experience insufficient fluids.

Jaundice can go away on its own or with mild treatment for a week or two. Or, it can also take up to two months in premature babies.

However, jaundice can also be a more serious disease, in very rare cases.

Severe or untreated jaundice can cause brain damage known as kernicterus. This can cause serious lifelong problems.

What causes yellow babies at birth?

Jaundice occurs because the baby's blood has excess bilirubin, the yellow pigment in red blood cells.

Quoting from Kids Health, there are several factors that cause jaundice, namely:

Babies are born prematurely

Bilirubin is a by-product made when the body breaks down old red blood cells.

Bilirubin will be removed from the blood by the liver and will eventually be excreted by the body through the baby's feces.

When the baby is still in the womb, this task is carried out by the mother's liver. However, after the baby is born, the baby has to do the work on his own.

Given that a newborn is a newborn, the baby's liver still needs time to start his new job, so some are not ready to break down bilirubin.

Finally, bilirubin builds up in the baby's blood and causes the baby's skin and eyes to turn yellow.

In premature babies, their liver is not yet mature, so they are more likely to develop jaundice.

Jaundice is also more likely in babies who have insufficient fluids.

Not enough fluids in the body can cause bilirubin levels in the blood to increase, leading to jaundice.

Infection

This disease can also be caused by other things, such as infection, enzyme deficiency, problems with the baby's digestive system (especially the liver).

In addition, this condition can also arise because there are problems with the blood types of the mother and baby (ABO and RH incompatibilities), but this is rare.

Your baby may develop this problem if jaundice appears less than one day after birth.

In healthy babies, jaundice usually appears 2-3 days after the baby is born.

The baby's blood type is different from the mother's

The condition of a yellow baby can also be caused by a mother's blood rhesus (Rh) problem, which occurs because the mother and baby have different blood types as well as different blood types for the mother and baby.

This condition causes the mother's body to produce antibodies that can fight the baby's red blood cells.

This will also cause a build-up of bilirubin in the baby's blood. In fact, this can be prevented by giving the mother an injection of Rh immune globulin.

Factors that increase the risk of jaundice

In addition to the characteristics of babies experiencing the disease above, there are several factors that make babies at risk of developing jaundice, namely:

Premature birth

The characteristics of premature babies, namely born before the 38th week do not have the ability to filter blood quickly as in babies born normally.

Babies who are born prematurely have their organs not ready to work properly.

Experiencing bruises during birth

During the labor process, he may experience bruises due to various things. This condition will be at risk for increasing bilirubin into the blood.

Blood group

If the mother has a different blood type from the baby, she will form antibodies so that her blood does not mix with the mother.

This allows the baby to develop jaundice or a greater buildup of bilirubin.

The mother or baby is malnourished

Inadequate nutrition for a nursing mother has the risk of making the baby experience a buildup of bilirubin.

In addition, dehydration or low intake that occurs in the baby can also cause the baby to jaundice.

What can be signs that a baby has jaundice?

Quoting from the NHS, babies who experience jaundice will show characteristics such as:

  • The baby's skin will turn yellow, first starting with the face, then the chest, stomach and legs
  • The whites of the baby's eyes will also turn yellow
  • Urine is black or dark yellow
  • The baby's stool is pale when it should be yellowish to orange

Symptoms or signs of jaundice above are usually experienced within 2-3 days after birth.

To find out, you can gently press the baby's forehead or nose.

If the baby's skin that you press looks yellow afterward, your baby may have mild jaundice.

Babies who have high levels of bilirubin in the blood will usually show signs such as:

  • The baby has problems while breastfeeding (suction is slower)
  • The baby becomes fussy or restless
  • Babies cry in high tones

How to treat yellow babies?

In fact, most of these cases do not require any treatment.

You are advised to continue breastfeeding your little one so that excess bilirubin can be excreted through feces. Make sure you breastfeed your baby at least 8-12 times a day.

So, don't be surprised if the baby's stool looks more brownish or yellowish because it contains bilirubin.

If the baby's body continues to turn yellow, the doctor will usually recommend phototherapy (filtered sunlight) to help get rid of excess bilirubin in your little one's body.

Phototherapy is done by shining a lamp on the baby's body billi-light or with billi-blanket.

During the therapy process, the baby will be left naked so that his entire body is exposed to the rays from the phototherapy. The two eyes will also be covered so that the eyes are protected.

This ultraviolet light will be absorbed by the baby's skin which will help convert the bilirubin into a form that is easier for the baby's body to dispose of through his urine.

When illuminated, the baby's body is not covered by anything (naked), but the baby's eyes are covered with an eye patch.

Phototherapy is quite effective in treating jaundice in babies. However, if the baby continues to have elevated levels of bilirubin despite phototherapy, intensive care may be needed for the baby.

Infants may need a blood transfusion to replace the baby's blood with high bilirubin levels, with donor blood that contains normal bilirubin levels.

According to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2015, this procedure is much more effective and has less side effects for treating jaundice in infants.

This is when compared to exposing it to direct sunlight.

Can jaundice be overcome by drying the baby?

Actually, this is not entirely wrong because there are indeed some cases of jaundice that have lessened due to sun exposure.

However, it should be noted that drying the baby every morning is not the only way to treat jaundice.

The reason is, this routine is actually not effective enough to reduce bilirubin levels, but rather to meet the intake of vitamin D in babies.

In fact, leaving infants aged 0-6 months exposed to direct sunlight can burn their skin and cause heat.

When to take the baby to the doctor?

Quoting from the Mayo Clinic, you should immediately take your baby to the doctor if you experience the following:

  • The baby's skin turns very yellow
  • The baby's growth does not increase (weight and height) or does not want to breastfeed
  • Babies cry in high, shrill tones
  • Yellow babies last for more than 3 weeks

The condition is severe and is not treated quickly, it can cause the baby to experience various other conditions.

Too much bilirubin in the body can poison the baby's brain.


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Jaundice: know the causes, signs and how to deal with it

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