What It Feels Like Having A Baby, Or Five, With Jaundice

When I had my first baby, I was nervous when his eyes and skin started to turn yellow. He was born at 36 weeks. So maybe being premature made him more susceptible to developing jaundice.

But when I first saw the discoloration on him, I was petrified. I thought it was a serious complication of preterm birth. Two days after birth, when this discoloration happened, I told the nurse about the situation. She calmly told me that it’s normal and he’ll be fine. But how could I not worry? My little one was looking all yellow, even his eyes. I don’t think any mother would be able to remain calm until her baby comes back to a normal color.

So when the doctor came to check on him, he reassured me that it’s common among newborns, more so in premature babies. Since it was a moderate case of jaundice, they did light therapy where a lamp was placed over him which emitted green light. He seemed to regain his normal color soon. My doctor also advised me to feed him more frequently and to make sure he was fed 12 times a day.

But things didn’t go as smoothly as my son refused to be fed. I had trouble breastfeeding him, which led to fewer feedings in a day. So I had to take him to the doctor again. My doctor then suggested giving formula milk for a couple of days. Thankfully, he drank happily, and then I resumed breastfeeding after 2 weeks.

So, when my second one developed jaundice 2 days after birth, there was no surprise there. I dealt with it much more calmly as I knew more about it. Since she had a mild case of jaundice, they didn’t go for light therapy or other treatments. Luckily her condition subsided within a week. Since all my kids were born preterm, they all had jaundice, even the 5^th one. And by now, I had become a pro in yellow babies. Jaundice in babies is more common than you think. So knowing these facts about infant jaundice may come in handy when you give birth to your baby:

Jaundice In Newborns

Infant jaundice is the yellowing of the baby’s skin and eyes as their liver hasn’t developed enough to get rid of the excess amount of bilirubin in red blood cells (1). Late preterm and full-term babies usually don’t require any treatment for this condition. Your baby is at risk only if it’s a case of severe jaundice which occurs rarely. Consult a doctor if your baby’s skin and eyes start to look more yellow, he/she isn’t putting on weight and crying in high-pitched sound in the days after getting discharged from the hospital. Jaundice can also be caused by an underlying disorder in some cases.

Treatment

Once your doctor diagnoses your newborn with jaundice, treatment follows based on the severity of the condition (2). For mild cases, no treatment is required as it will disappear on its own. Moderate to severe cases of jaundice may require the following treatments:

Light Therapy: Also known as phototherapy, the baby is placed below a special lamp which emits blue-green light. This therapy changes the bilirubin molecules so that they are flushed out of the body in the form of pee or stool.

Intravenous Immunoglobin: Jaundice may be caused if the blood type of the mother and baby are different. In such cases, an intravenous transfusion is carried out which contains an immunoglobin to lower the level of antibodies.

Exchange Transfusion: In rare cases of severe jaundice where the other two treatments don’t seem to work, blood transfusion is done. This procedure is done by replacing the baby’s blood with donor blood to dilute the level of bilirubin and maternal antibodies. It is carried out in an ICU.

Your doctor may advise you to feed your baby more frequently to increase the bowel movements to eliminate excess amounts of bilirubin from the body. If you are having trouble breastfeeding, you may be suggested to give expressed milk or formula milk instead.

The sight of a yellow baby can scare mommies when they encounter it for the first time. But keep calm and know that your baby is going to be fine and happy in your arms in no time! However, if you notice any discoloration or have any concern or queries, consult your doctor right away.

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