Catching jaundice just after birth is not that uncommon. It is the state of the body of the baby where the skin and the eyes take on a yellowish texture. To be honest, almost all the babies catch a mild jaundice during the first few days after birth. For babies who are born prematurely, the jaundice becomes a little more serious and it lasts long. Even though the jaundice is very common after being born it can be serious in some cases where the amount of bilirubin within the body becomes extremely high. Conditions like that might cause serious damage to the body in future- starting from brain damage to state of being deaf. That is why; one must know what causes in the newborn baby and what is the best way to deal with it.
- How does it happen?
- The basic reason of catching jaundice after birth is because of the high amount of production of bilirubin in the baby’s body. Generally the bilirubin that gets produced in the human body from the breaking down of the red blood cells gets removed by the functioning of the liver. In the cases of newly born, the liver cannot produce the excess amount of bilirubin that gets produced. As a result, the baby gets jaundice within the first couple of days.
- Premature birth might be another reason for jaundice in the babies.
- If there is any mismatching of blood between the mommy and the baby jaundice can happen in that case too.
- Breastfeeding problems might cause jaundice as well.
- Symptoms:
Even though Jaundice is pretty common in the newly born, in some rare and critical cases it might cause real health troubles for the baby. That is why; one must be aware of the baby catching jaundice and look for the symptoms time to time-
- The basic symptom of jaundice in the newly born is the yellowish color of the skin and the eyes due to the increased amount of bilirubin. The first change should be noticed in the eyes of the baby.
- Excess of sleepiness in the baby might be another sign for jaundice.
- If the baby has difficulty in waking up even to get fed the cause might be jaundice.
- Lethargy in newly born is another sign for jaundice.
- How to deal with it:
The first step of dealing with this problem is to recognize it at the earliest because in the most cases the problem is easily curable.
- The mommy should stay in touch with the doctor even after leaving the hospital because generally the jaundice happens after few days of birth.
- For mild jaundice feeding more to the baby is general recommendation of the doctor. This way the bilirubin leaves the body in form of stool.
- Less exposure to sun.
- Phototherapy is something doctors recommend in the severe cases.
In most cases jaundice gets cured automatically. However, because of the chances of brain damage in severe cases it is always wise to seek professional help at the earliest.
