What does it mean if a baby has jaundice?

Answer 1

The liver isn't functioning correctly (yet), so the chemical bilirubin isn't being removed from the body. This leads to the baby looking yellow or orange (usually starting with the head/face and affecting the extremities in worse cases). Bilirubin can be excreted through poop if the liver is functioning, or it can be broken down by light coming through the skin. The liver is usually much more effective than the light treatment. However, when a newborn baby isn't getting a steady supply of nutrients, and this leads to a lack of excretion (poop), the bilirubin doesn't get removed fast enough.

This is somewhat more common in breastfed babies because it takes a few days to a week for the mother's milk to come in and give baby plenty of food. Formula fed babies can start getting adequate proteins and carbohydrates right away, so they begin to excrete the bilirubin more efficiently.

The treatments for a jaundiced baby are usually phototherapy (being treated with a special light(s) and sometimes intravenous feeding (IV) or formula supplementation for a breastfed baby.

The way they are tested for high levels of bilirubin is usually by having a heel lance (a cut in the thick skin of the foot) and having blood drops squeezed out into a vial for testing.

It is important that babies not have too much bilirubin because it can harm their brains.

Answer 2

A lot of newborns have it. It is a common condition. What you should do in such a case, is give them "sunlight therapy". That is, you put them in sunlight, which will supply them with "vitamin A". This is what they need to recover from jaundice. Of course, guard against sunburn. But, a well lit room in your house, where the sun is shining through a window, directly onto the precious newborn is fine. Let them absorb a couple or a few hours of such sunlight, and they will be fine.

Answer 3

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00107.html

Infant jaundice is a buildup of bilirubin that turns the skin a yellowish color. Bilirubin is broken down by the liver, but it can take a bit for a baby's to start functioning correctly. In severe cases, a light is used to help break down the bilirubin until the liver can keep up.

Answer 4

Your child has a high level of billirubin which is found in the liver. It turns the skin yellow. If it's not treated they get very sick. You can try to lower his level by exposing him to sunlight, which helped my son. If the level don't go down or gets higher he'll need treatment from the hospital. All they'll do is put him under a ultraviolet light. Hope this helps, good luck!

Answer 5

It means his liver and kidneys aren't functioning yet. Most babies get over this quickly and go on to be fine. If it persists, though, it needs medical attention immediately.