Birth Weight Matters

Remember, if you have a premature baby or if your baby has a low birth weight, she is more prone to jaundice.

Premature babies and babies with low birth weight have low fluid levels in their bodies and as a result are more prone to jaundice.

Newborns have high haemoglobin levels and high red blood cells mass.

When the baby is in your womb, your blood supplies her with additional red blood cells which help her to get equal distribution of oxygen in her body. When she is born, the red blood cells are of no use because she can breathe on her own.

As a result, her body does not need the additional red blood cells and will start disposing them and a liquid called as bilirubin, comes out.

It is then  passed to her intestines. Since her liver is not mature, her body is unable to handle this sudden increase in bilirubin and as a result your baby's skin starts looking yellow.

Newborns get jaundice on the third day after they are born. The jaundice increases on fourth and fifth day and from the sixth day onward, the level of intensity will be lower.

The jaundice becomes severe in case the blood group between you and your baby is incompatiable, both in A, B, O and Rh.

Sun Treatment

If your baby has jaundice it will show on her face. Jaundice progresses from the face to her body. Jaundice in adults will make you lose your appetite. However, this is not true for infants.

Make sure you breastfeed her as much as possible. Breast milk will help in bringing down the bilirubin level in your baby's body.

Also Read: Bond with Your Newborn

Your doctor may also give her phototherapy. In phototherapy, your baby will be kept in a box with blue and white ultraviolet rays. The baby will be kept naked but her genitals will be covered. The bilirubin is thrown out of the body in the stool or urine.

Your doctor may also ask you to expose your baby to early morning sunlight to prevent her from developing jaundice.

This helps only as a preventive measure. If your baby has already developed jaundice, you may need to go for phototherapy treatment.

In severe cases, when the jaundice is not curable through phototherapy, some children may undergo Exchange Transfusion wherein the entire blood of the newborn baby is removed and replaced with blood from the donor.

What If Ignored

Never overlook jaundice in your newborn because it can affect the grey matter of your baby's brain. This can further lead to overall delayed development with hearing loss and vision deterioration. So make sure you look out for the prominent signs.

If you feel your baby's body is turning yellow, get her treated right away.

(With inputs from Dr. Bijal Shrivastava, Paediatrician from L.H Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai and from Dr. P.V. Vaidyanathan, Paediatrician and Child Specialist, Mumbai)