![]() ![]() Has your baby's temperature been stable?.If your baby has jaundice, has the yellow color spread to parts of the body other than the face?.Have you noticed any changes in the color of your baby's skin or eyes?.Does your baby wake up easily for feeding?.How often is there stool in the diaper?.How often does your baby have a wet diaper?.Is your baby breast-fed or formula-fed?.When you arrive for your follow-up appointment, be prepared to answer the following questions. If risk factors for severe jaundice are present, your doctor may recommend a follow-up visit a day or two after the baby leaves the hospital. Ask your doctor what feeding options are right for your baby. In some cases, your doctor may recommend using formula alone for a couple of days and then resuming breast-feeding. If your baby is having trouble breast-feeding, is losing weight, or is dehydrated, your doctor may suggest giving your baby formula or expressed milk to supplement breast-feeding. Formula-fed infants usually should have 1 to 2 ounces (about 30 to 60 milliliters) of formula every two to three hours for the first week. Breast-fed infants should have eight to 12 feedings a day for the first several days of life. Feeding more frequently will provide your baby with more milk and cause more bowel movements, increasing the amount of bilirubin eliminated in your baby's stool. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about how much or how often your baby is feeding or if you're having trouble breast-feeding. When infant jaundice isn't severe, your doctor may recommend changes in feeding habits that can lower levels of bilirubin. This involves repeatedly withdrawing small amounts of blood and replacing it with donor blood, thereby diluting the bilirubin and maternal antibodies - a procedure that's performed in a newborn intensive care unit. ![]() Rarely, when severe jaundice doesn't respond to other treatments, a baby may need an exchange transfusion of blood. Intravenous transfusion of an immunoglobulin - a blood protein that can reduce levels of antibodies - may decrease jaundice and lessen the need for an exchange transfusion, although results are not conclusive. This condition results in the baby carrying antibodies from the mother that contribute to the rapid breakdown of the baby's red blood cells. Jaundice may be related to blood type differences between mother and baby. Light therapy may be supplemented with the use of a light-emitting pad or mattress. During treatment, your baby will wear only a diaper and protective eye patches. The light changes the shape and structure of bilirubin molecules in such a way that they can be excreted in both the urine and stool. Your baby may be placed under a special lamp that emits light in the blue-green spectrum. To prevent weight loss, your doctor may recommend more-frequent feeding or supplementation to ensure that your baby receives adequate nutrition. Treatments to lower the level of bilirubin in your baby's blood may include: For moderate or severe jaundice, your baby may need to stay longer in the newborn nursery or be readmitted to the hospital. Mild infant jaundice often disappears on its own within two or three weeks. Health Encyclopedia: Total Bilirubin (Blood). Rochester (NY): University of Rochester Medical Center c2017. University of Rochester Medical Center.Department of Health and Human Services Symptoms & Causes of Gallstones. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Department of Health and Human Services Blood Tests. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Department of Health and Human Services Hemolytic Anemia. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research c1998-2022 Bilirubin test. Jaundice in Newborns: Parent FAQs 2017 June 19. Elk Grove Village (IL): American Academy of Pediatrics c2022. Diagnosing Liver Disease - Liver Biopsy and Liver Function Tests. New York: American Liver Foundation c2022. ![]()
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