Jaundice...

Liam got jaundice when he was a newborn baby, in his 8 days of age he had to stay for a night in the hospital for blue light therapy.

Liam got his eyes's closed with protective eye patches

We had no idea what is jaundice at that time. When my sister came to visit us after my childbirth, she said that she thinks Liam is going to yellow.

Then we brought Liam to his pediatrician, and she gave us explanation about what is jaundice. Jaundice is a condition when the baby’s skin and the whites of the eyes turn into a yellow in color. That’s because there is an exceeding bilirubin in baby’s blood. Bilirubin is produced by the breakdown of red blood cells. In case of jaundice, the bilirubin is produced faster than the ability of baby’s liver can break it down and excrete it from the baby’s body.

Type of jaundice is:

1. Normal (physiological) jaundice, usually occur in most newborns because of the immaturity of baby’s liver to process the bilirubin. This condition will disappear by 1-2 weeks of age.

2.  Prematurity jaundice, appears in premature babies.

3.  Breastfeeding jaundice, caused by baby doesn’t get enough breastmilk. This condition usually will improve over 3-12 weeks.

4.  Rh or ABO problem, this condition is caused by the baby and the mother have different type of blood, where the mother will produce antibody that will destroy baby’s red blood cells. It begin in the first of the baby’s life.

Just want to share about our experience, I and my husband suggest, after the baby come home from the hospital after childbirth is would be the best for bring your baby’s back to be seen by doctor in 2-3 days of the baby’s age as the doctor can check the present of jaundice. As The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that too. Jaundice is a big deal, when it comes to above 25mg, it can cause form of brain damage, infection or thyroid problem.