To minimize blood tests, non-invasive devices (trans-cutaneous bilirubinometer) are also used to monitor jaundice. In many hospitals, bilirubin levels are routinely checked before you take your baby home.
There is a blood test to measure the amount of bilirubin in your baby’s body. How do I know if my baby’s bilirubin levels are too high? It might be necessary to offer your baby supplementary feeds of formula to avoid dehydration and to keep the jaundice from getting worse. If you are having trouble breastfeeding, it is important to get help. Your baby’s stool should turn from dark green to yellow. The milk also gives your baby’s liver the energy it needs to process the bilirubin. Feeding often will make your baby pass more stool.
How can I prevent jaundice?įeeding (especially breastfeeding) your baby frequently in the first hours and days after his birth helps reduce the risk of jaundice. If the level of bilirubin becomes very high it can affect some of your baby’s brain cells. In rare cases, severe jaundice can cause seizures or lead to deafness, cerebral palsy or serious developmental delay. Fortunately, most jaundice is not severe and complications can usually be prevented. Most jaundice is not harmful to your baby and disappears when your baby’s body learns to deal with bilirubin.īut in some babies there is so much bilirubin that it can be harmful. It will first appear on your baby’s face and chest.īabies who have higher levels of bilirubin (severe jaundice) may seem very tired and cranky, and feed poorly because they are too hard to wake up. You may notice it between 1 and 4 days after your baby is born.
It makes a baby’s skin and the whites of the eyes turn a yellow colour.
Jaundice is very common in newborn babies. The body gets rid of bilirubin through the stool (poo) and urine (pee). Bilirubin is a brownish-yellow substance that is produced after red blood cells break down. Jaundice is a condition where a newborn baby’s skin turns yellow because a high amount of bilirubin is produced or because the liver can’t get rid of it quickly enough.