how much more at risk is a baby....jaundice question?

Question

okay...let me explain....i had my 1st son when i was 36 weeks along. when he was born, he aspirated and had jaundice. he had to stay in the hospital a couple of days longer than normal...but everything turned out fine and he is now a healthy and happy 1 year old. i am now 35 weeks pregnant with my 2nd son. i have heard that if you have your first child kinda early, then your 2nd will also come early. i was just wondering, if i do go into labor and have this baby early too, what are the chances if my 2nd son also having jaundice? is having the baby early what causes jaundice?? what is the physical difference between a baby that is born on time and one that is born 4 weeks early?? (btw my 1st son weighed 7.9 , and he wasn't considered a preemee)? any mothers out there that could help me??? thanks in advance for your answers!

Answer 1

OK, people have already given you answers to the "what is jaundice" question. I am going to share my jaundice experience with you. My first son was 10 days late and he needed more milk than what my breast milk could provide. He was jaundice as well and was put under the lights for 3 days in the NICU. I had to supplement with formula after I breastfed because sometimes preemies and overdue babies need more than just the colostrum that the mommy provides. After a month or so of checkups (heel pricks to test billirubin levels) he was OK.

My second son was born 1 week early (taken by c-section) and was a little jaundice. Thankfully he never needed to be under the lights and he only had his heel pricked once for the test. He was just fine.

My point is, every baby is different and I hope your second baby won't have to go through that. Good luck to you and congratulations.

Answer 2

Both my son and daughter had jaundice, but it cleared up on its own gradually over a few weeks. If your baby is born early, it does increase the chance of jaundice, but it's not a gaurantee that he will have it. A lot of babies have this, it's really more commen then people think. As for being early, well, my first was 2 weeks early he was 7 pounds, my second 3 weeks early and she was 6 pounds. Both happy and healthy and came home with me the next day. On the other hand my friend had her first 3 weeks early, and her second is due today, and not showing signs of coming anytime soon. My mom's babies, in order were, 3 weeks early, 2 weeks late (me!), and 6 weeks early. The biggest difference in a early baby ( notice I did not say premature ) is weight. Early babies are skinnier, late babies are chunkier because they've had more time to bake. Premature babies are undeveloped and cannot survive without some kind of support. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy, it will go all too soon, don't worry!

Answer 3

My oldest child who is now 10 weighed in at a healthy 9 lbs 9ox and was a week late(induced) he had jaundice for the first week. My second child was 6 lbs 9 oz and was 3 weeks early and had jaundice almost to the point he would have needed the light therapy and is very healthy, he is now 7. I also have 15 month old twins born 5 weeks premature that weighed 5 lb 10oz and 5 lbs 2 oz and had a touch of jaundice, but they did give them the light therapy while they were in the hospital one time(they were in for 5 days to make sure they were eating right, no other reason). I was told the reason all of my kids had jaundice was more likely to be from the fact that my rh factor is negative (a- blood type) Babies born to a mother with negative blood type are at a higher risk. These days jaundice wont have a bad long term affect on your child as long as you pay attention to it and have the proper steps taken if needed.

All babies are born at different stages and different advantages and disadvantages. Just make sure you ask your doctors and nurses any questions you have lingering. They are the best ones to answer those types of questions about your child.

Answer 4

HAving a baby early does increase the risk of jaundice. Jaundice is caused by the baby breaking down halmoglobin it no longer needs. It is harder for premmie babies to do as their bodies are not as developed! Babies born 4 weeks early may have problems breathing because surfactant on their lungs are not developed but it sound like maybe the dates were wrong for your son! Jaundice is normal so dont stress

Answer 5

Jaundice is caused by the breakdown of Red Blood Cells after birth. A new babies liver isn't always the best at metabolizing the bilirubin that is produced, and that is what causes the jaundice. I had 3 babies, all at term, and 2 of them ended up with jaundice, one was treated in the hospital for 1 day, the other came home and was put on a bili blanket at home for a few days, with visits to the doctor to check her levels daily. I think that it has more to do with the individual baby than anything else. Also a traumatic or rapid birth can cause bruising, which will require a breakdown of rbc's by the liver....... further increasing jaundice. My 3rd child had a lot of bruising on her face which was caused by a very rapid delivery, so they warned me in advance that she would become jaundiced. The doctors are so alert for jaundice and have you bringing your baby back for rechecks, so they'd pick up on it and treat it, I don't think you have anything to worry about, at most it will be an inconvenience! If you do end up needing the bili lights, ask for the bili blanket that can be used at home! Best of luck~

Answer 6

all, and i mean ALL 6 of my mother's babies had jaundice. but why they kept him a few extra days is beyond me. all he needed was to be put in direct sunlight (naked so that all of his skin is exposed) for ten minutes, front and back each, twice a day. that's how it's been done for centuries, millenia even. what causes jaundice is the liver hasn't started working yet. the sunlight helps get that started. my daughter was two and a half weeks early and she had it, but 5 days of sunlight and she was cleared up. my son was only 3 days early and he was a little jaundiced. doc said i didn't have to do anything about it, but i sunned him anyway.
wherever you heard that a first early baby means subsequent early babies, forget it. each pregnancy is different. with all of my siblings and i, we came at different times. one of us even came on her due date. i think my 15 year old brother (at 26, i'm the oldest) was a week late and he was the smallest of all of us. you can never tell when one baby will come if you judge by when another came.
sorry i couldn't be more help.

Answer 7

Most babies have jaundice to some extent in the early days. Jaundice is due to a buildup in the blood of bilirubin, a yellow pigment that comes from the breakdown of old red blood cells. It is normal for old red blood cells to break down, but the bilirubin formed does not usually cause jaundice because the liver metabolizes it and gets rid of it into the gut. The newborn baby, however, often becomes jaundiced during the first few days because the liver enzyme that metabolizes bilirubin is relatively immature. Furthermore, newborn babies have more red blood cells than adults, and thus more are breaking down at any one time. If the baby is premature, or stressed from a difficult birth, or the infant of a diabetic mother, or more than the usual number of red blood cells are breaking down (as can happen in blood incompatibility), the level of bilirubin in the blood may rise higher than usual levels.

How they are fed and how well they are feeding make some difference in how quickly they eliminate it.

The links below may help you to learn more about infant jaundice.

Answer 8

Relax mommy!

First off there is a difference between early and premature....usually if you make it to 36 weeks you are considered EARLY..which means everything is fully formed and matured, he just got impatient and came early. They gain weight the last four weeks, that is about it.

Lots of babies have jaundice, full-term and otherwise! May or may not have anything to do with being early!

Good Luck!

Answer 9

My experience: Baby #1 was full term but smaller and had jaundice. She came home at one week old. ....................................baby #2 was 2 weeks early, nice sized, no jaundice, but I had a touch of pre-eclampsia with 1 week hospital bed rest. .........................Baby #3 and #4 were full term, nice sized, no problems at all. ................ All were healthy babies, kids, and now adults....... One pregnancy usually does not tell you how another will turn out--unless you have some illness or repeat complication. Relax.

Answer 10

Epidurals increase risk of jaundice. Natural childbirth decreases the risk of jaundice, so you might try that.