Baby jaundice or jaundice is a common condition experienced by newborns. Although generally harmless, there are some things to watch out for if your baby shows signs of jaundice. In this way, appropriate treatment can be carried out immediately.
Jaundice is characterized by a yellow color to the skin or the whites of the baby's eyes. In addition, babies who have jaundice usually have dark yellow urine, pale stools, and yellowing of the palms of the hands and feet.
Symptoms of jaundice usually appear 2-3 days after birth and can go away on its own within 2 weeks. However, if it does not improve, this condition can be a sign of a serious illness, such as brain damage, cerebral palsy, to hearing loss.
Causes of Yellow Babies
Jaundice occurs due to a buildup of bilirubin in the baby's blood. Bilirubin is a yellow substance that is produced by the natural process of destroying red blood cells. This condition often attacks newborns, because their liver function is not functioning optimally.
In fact, the baby has had bilirubin since he was in the womb which is produced by the placenta. After birth, bilirubin from the baby's bloodstream will be filtered by the liver and released into the intestinal tract.
However, because the baby's liver is not yet fully developed, while the amount of bilirubin produced is greater, the process of removing bilirubin is hampered.
Jaundice caused by an increase in bilirubin is very common and is also known as physiological jaundice. In addition, jaundice can also be caused by the following conditions:
- Sepsis in babies
- Viral or bacterial infection
- Internal bleeding
- Heart damage
- Deficiency of certain enzymes
- Abnormal baby red blood cells that are easily damaged
- Rhesus and blood group incompatibility between mother and baby
- Problems with the baby's digestive system, including biliary atresia
Babies born prematurely and babies who have difficulty consuming breast milk are also at high risk for jaundice.
Complications That May Occur in Yellow Babies
Jaundice caused by high bilirubin levels can experience several complications, including:
Acute encephalopathy
This condition occurs when the bilirubin in the baby's blood enters the brain area, then damages brain cells, causing encephalopathy. There are several symptoms of acute encephalopathy that can appear in infants, including:
- Fever
- Throw up
- Difficulty breastfeeding or sucking the mother's nipple
- Sluggish
- Hard to wake up
- Neck and body arched back
- More fussy and restless
Kernicterus
Acute encephalopathy in jaundiced infants that is not treated properly can cause kernicterus or permanent damage to the brain. This kernicterus can cause a baby to lose hearing to the delay in the development of tooth enamel or the outer layer of the teeth.
How to Overcome a Yellow Baby
Jaundice in newborns usually does not require special treatment because it can go away in 10–14 days. However, if the results of the examination show the presence of high levels of bilirubin in the baby's blood, special treatment is needed from the doctor.
The following are the main treatments for babies who have high bilirubin levels:
- Phototherapy, to convert bilirubin into a form that is easily broken down by the liver using a special light
- Exchange transfusion (exchange transfusion), which is the process of removing the baby's blood using a catheter that is placed in a vein and replaced with blood from a suitable donor
You can prevent the increase in bilirubin that can cause jaundice by giving him adequate food intake. Breastfed babies should feed 8–12 times a day for the first few days of life.
For formula-fed babies, you should give 30–60 ml of milk every 2–3 hours during the first week after birth to prevent an increase in the level of bilirubin in the baby's blood.
Adequate food intake is also able to overcome excess bilirubin in the baby's blood, which will later be excreted through the feces.
If your little one has jaundice, you should have their condition checked regularly, especially on the whites of the eyeballs and skin. This examination should be done 2 times a day to see if the condition has returned to normal or is getting worse.
If the condition of the jaundiced baby does not improve after 14 days, immediately consult a doctor for treatment. Prompt and appropriate treatment will reduce the risk of a jaundiced baby experiencing permanent brain damage.