What is jaundice?
This is when the skin and the whites of the eyes ...turn a yellow color due to an increase in a yellow ...pigment called bilirubin.
What causes jaundice?
Jaundice is very common among newborns
This type of jaundice occurs because the baby's ...liver is immature and the breakdown of the ...bilirubin is slower.
The jaundice usually appears at 2-3 days of age and ...disappears by 1-2 weeks of age.
How to treat jaundice?
Undress the baby down to the diaper and expose to ...indirect sunlight for 15-20 minutes 3 times a day.
...-Indirect sunlight is sun streaming through a ...window
...OR
Undress the baby down to the diaper and expose to ...direct sunlight for 5 minutes 3 times a day. This ...option is for homes with UV protected windows.
...-For this option take the baby outside into the ...sunlight. DO NOT use sunscreen on the newborn. ...Sunscreen should not be used until 6 months of ...age.
What will the doctor do?
The doctor will want to monitor your baby ...frequently while he/she has jaundice. This may ...require frequent visits to the office.
Depending on the severity of the jaundice the ...doctor may want to draw blood and receive an ...exact bilirubin level.
If the bilirubin level is too high the doctor may ...order a bili blanket for the baby which is a UV ...light that is wrapped in a blanket with the baby to ...help continuously breakdown the bilirubin.
