What to do if your 14-day-old baby has high jaundice

Jaundice is one of the most common diseases in newborns, especially in babies who are just one week old. Jaundice in newborns can be a physiological phenomenon and the main manifestation of many diseases. Therefore, parents should observe carefully. Once abnormal jaundice occurs, they must go back to the hospital for examination, early detection, early diagnosis and treatment.

Classification of neonatal jaundice: physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice

1 Physiological jaundice

Usually, two days after birth, the newborn's skin is visibly a little yellow, which reaches its peak at 3 to 5 days and most of the time disappears at 7 to 10 days. At this time, the jaundice index (serum bilirubin value) is generally within the normal range of no more than 15 mg/dL.

2Pathological jaundice

Pathological jaundice should be considered when a newborn has any of the following conditions:

① Early onset of jaundice: within 24 hours after birth;

② Severe: Serum bilirubin concentration >220 mol/L (12.9 mg/dl) in full-term infants and >256.5 μmol/L (15 mg/dl) in premature infants;

③ Increased serum conjugated bilirubin >26mol/L (1.5mg/dl);

④ Rapid progression: serum bilirubin increases by >85 mol/L (5 mg/dl) every day;

⑤ Jaundice lasts for a long time, more than 2 to 4 weeks, or progressively worsens or recurs.

How to deal with high jaundice in babies

Get more sun:

Newborn babies are prone to jaundice. Sometimes the baby has jaundice before being discharged from the hospital, and sometimes it appears a few days after returning home. So mothers need to observe carefully. If you find that the baby's face is yellowish, but the symptoms are not too serious, you can take the baby out to bask in the sun. During the basking process, let the baby's skin be exposed to the sun as much as possible. Exposing the baby to the sun more every day can also reduce the jaundice. However, you cannot bask in the sun through glass, and you must cover the baby's eyes to prevent the hot sun from burning the baby's eyes.

Continue breastfeeding

Generally speaking, if you stop breastfeeding, the baby's jaundice symptoms will subside significantly, but breast milk is the most ideal food for babies, so don't stop feeding them casually, and don't mix breast milk and formula milk too early. It is recommended to stop breastfeeding for three to five days only if the serum bilirubin value is too high.

Go to the hospital for medical treatment in time.

Physiological jaundice usually appears 2-3 days after birth and disappears around 14 days. If the baby's jaundice symptoms persist and gradually worsen, or suddenly worsen, and the baby shows symptoms such as lethargy, drowsiness, difficulty sucking, limb stiffness or convulsions, parents should take the baby to the hospital in time to avoid delaying the baby's condition.

Correction of high misunderstandings about baby jaundice

Giving sugar water to babies with jaundice:

Many parents believe that giving babies with jaundice sugar water can treat the baby's jaundice symptoms. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. If the baby is fed too much sugar water, his digestive tract will be filled with glucose, which will make the baby lose his appetite for breastfeeding, and the frequency and amount of breastfeeding will decrease, thereby affecting the excretion of bilirubin and causing the jaundice symptoms to worsen.