Most new parents bringing their newborn home from the hospital will notice a slightly yellow color to the baby’s skin. Everyone one of my children have had this condition, known as jaundice, and usually it is nothing to cause alarm. Your pediatrician will normally tell you to take the baby out in the early morning light and assure you that it will fade in a few days; and it usually does. However, in some cases, there is an underlying cause for the jaundice and it becomes severe and prolonged, needing other medical intervention. This was the case in our little Kaylinn. We noticed the usual mild jaundice as we brought her home from the hospital on March 1st. Normaly, the jaundice will occur on the infant’s 3rd to 5th days of life. However, in Kaylinn, it continued to get worse rather than fade away, in spite of daily taking her out in the morning light. As she neared her 3rd week of life, she also began to vomit profusely. Concerned, we contacted our pediatrician and Kaylinn had to be admitted in the hospital – again. Bloodwork showed an infection of some kind that was probably the cause. After some time under the phototherapy lights along with IV antibiotics, Kaylinn’s color slowly began to improve and the vomiting stopped. It was a difficult and emotional time, not knowing exactly what was going on with our little girl, but we are thankful to say that eight days later she was finally discharged from the hospital and is now home and doing well. What is jaundice? – Infant jaundice is a yellow discoloration in a newborn baby’s skin and eyes. The condition occurs because the baby’s blood contains an excess of bilirubin (bil-ih-ROO-bin), a yellow-colored pigment of red blood cells. Infant jaundice usually occurs because a baby’s liver isn’t mature enough to get rid of bilirubin in the bloodstream. In some cases, an underlying disease may cause jaundice. Although complications are rare, severe infant jaundice or poorly treated jaundice can cause brain damage. (Definition taken from MayoClinic.com)
When to be concerned – If the jaundice continues to worsen after the baby has reached 5 days old, notify your pediatrician. In Kaylinn’s case, the jaundice progressed daily and eventually was accompanied by vomiting. If this happens, notify your pediatrician immediately. Kaylinn also slept a lot more than usual and cried little. The doctor was concerned by these symptoms as well. For more symptoms and information on jaundice, please read the information posted on the Mayo Clinic website at MayoClinic.com.