Is jaudice serious for newborns?

Question

A friend of mines just had her third child (second son) by c-section. She informed me the hospital wasn't going to release the baby because he has jaundice. He was released anyway, so he is at home still carrying his appetite and yet he does look yellowish she says. Neither of us know too much about this and was curious if she should be worried about the baby being sickly.

Answer 1

Its very common but could get serious if not taken care of.  My son was jaundice and we had a home health nurse come out with a light treatment for a week after he was home.  Every day some came out to take blood.  After a week he was fine.  Your friend should have baby at doctors within a week and they will check bilirubin levels.  Meanwhile sunlight and frequent feeding are good for baby.

Answer 2

Jaundice is extremely common, particularly in white babies.  Give that baby some SUNLIGHT, trust me.

The hospital may have kept the baby if the billy ruben (sp?) levels were too high.  Anything above 20 gets admitted to the hospital.  This is the last thing you want b/c those other kids in the hospital are super sick and you don't want the newbie to get a cold or something from one of them.

She should just go see the pediatrician ASAP.  They take blood from the foot and see what the levels are at.  Anything above 9 and they will ask that the woman stops breast feeding for 24-72 hours and give strictly formula.  (The reason for this is b/c about 30% of women have something in their milk that binds the billie ruben and prevents the baby from passing it).  Anyway, if the baby has formula for a day they'll take more blood from the foot and make sure the levels dropped.  The BEST thing in SUNLIGHT.

My newbie had jaundice and turned into an orange pumpkin.  It was 3 days of formula and I was miserable.  My little brother though had serious jaundice when he was born and was NOT released from the hospital for a week.  Then we had to put him under this special light for 2 months.  That dang light was a pain in the butt and finally my rents just put him in the window sill and it was gone in 2 days.  Ugg!

The baby was released so it won't be anything too crazy, just have his levels checked out.  Jaundice effects the liver and eventualy the brain so get it checked out, but don't worry about it.  Just follow the doctors orders and baby will be fine.  He is probably not uncomfortable at all though so don't worry about that.

SUNLIGHT!!!!! Indirect best for baby skin so by the window.  

Good Luck

Answer 3

People are saying sunlight and that's correct but just thought I might add that when my son was born with jaundice my midwife advised me to take him out only in the morning and just before evening sun so he's not at risk of getting overheated.

Answer 4

Yes, it could be if the baby has a high bilirubin level and is left untreated.  Did the hospital test the baby before discharging him?  If so, they may have determined the baby has a safe bilirubin level that will pass without treatment.  Most babies are born with some level of jaundice.  If the mother feels unsure about what was done as far as treatment, the level, or symptoms, she should probably talk to/visit the baby's pediatrician.

Answer 5

in some cases it can be serious.. in my case my daughter was released a day after i was.. and they set up about 2 appointments just to check her blood.. so theyll probably be asking her to come in.. and i doubt any hospital will allow a baby to leave without them being sure its okay for the baby

Answer 6

dunno but found this intresting link that might help clear this out:

good luck and hope everything is ok!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonatal_ja...

Answer 7

It can be serious, but thats only if it is a severe case and if it were, they would have kept the baby at the hospital and that is very very rare. She should be putting her baby in direct sunlight (a window something) for ten minutes twice a day and eventually the jaundice will go away.  If his appetite is okay, he is having enough wet/dirty diapers, dont stress, just do the sunlight thing and it'll be gone before you know it.