Last week, we noted that jaundice, a yellow colouring condition in newborns may be seen on the face and then moves down to the chest, belly area, legs, and soles of the feet. When it occurs, your child's doctor may ask for a lab check of bilirubin levels, a complete blood count, Coomb's test and Reticulocyte count. While in most cases of mild jaundice treatment is usually not needed, your child will need treatment if the bilirubin level is too high or is rising too quickly. It is important that you keep the baby well hydrated with breast milk or formula. Frequent feeding for the baby encourage frequent bowel movements, which help remove bilirubin through the stools. Photo-therapy involves the use of special blue lights on infants whose levels of bilirubin are very high. The lights work by helping to break down bilirubin in the skin. The infant is usually placed under artificial light in an incubator.The baby will wear only a diaper and special eye shades to protect the eyes. The baby is breastfed normally through photo-therapy, if possible. Your baby's doctor may add some intravenous fluids through an intravenous line fixed on the baby. Other more traditional approaches involve exposing the baby to the sun daily for about 30 minutes. In the most severe cases of jaundice, an exchange transfusion is required. In this procedure, the baby's blood is replaced with fresh blood. More recently, a new approach of treating severely jaundiced babies with intravenous immunoglobulin has been shown to also be very effective at reducing bilirubin levels. For most babies, jaundice usually gets better without treatment within one to two weeks. Though rare, serious complications from high bilirubin levels include cerebral palsy, deafness and kernicterus -- brain damage from very high bilirubin levels. All pregnant women should be tested for blood type and unusual antibodies. If the mother is Rh negative, follow-up testing on the infant's cord is recommended. Careful monitoring of all babies during the first five days of life can prevent most complications of jaundice.
photo:www.babypicpoint.com