What is Jaundice?
When the pediatrician came to check my newborn in the hospital, one of the first questions I asked him was if he thought my baby had jaundice. My twins had some jaundice after they were born, so I knew what to expect. The baby was slightly jaundice which is very common. But, what is jaundice and how can you combat it in your baby’s first few weeks of life?
The word “jaundice” comes from a French word meaning “yellow”. It describes the yellowish color of the whites of the eyes and skin of newborns. It usually appears in the second or third day of life of a newborn full term baby. It usually goes away after a week.
It occurs because the liver is not fully mature and not fully able to get rid of the bilirubin, which is the breakdown of old red blood cells that the baby needed in the womb.
Feeding the baby helps them have bowel movements which helps the body get rid of bilirubin. It doesn’t matter of you breastfeed or bottle feed any feeding is good for the baby although some doctors will recommend formula to help with jaundice, your milk will do just fine.
This is a common and temporary condition so don’t be too scared if you hear that your newborn has jaundice.
In some cases jaundice can become severe so call your doctor if you are concerned or if your infant’s eyes or skin looks more yellow then when they left the hospital.
infants, newborns, jaundice, bilirubin, babies, pregnancy, parenting parenting children
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