What should we pay attention to when caring for children with jaundice at home? What are the misunderstandings in the treatment of neonatal jaundice?

Neonatal jaundice is a common disease among newborns. The treatment of neonatal jaundice is simple, but it is easy to have some misunderstandings.

Misunderstandings in the treatment of neonatal jaundice

Sunbathing can reduce yellowing.

Direct sunlight can help reduce jaundice, but the effect is not ideal because the amount of blue wavelength light in sunlight is limited, and it is difficult to expose a large area of ​​skin to sunlight at home. Even if it can be done, it is easy to cause ultraviolet burns and colds. Therefore, we do not recommend relying on sun exposure to reduce jaundice.

Feeding more water and glucose water and urinating more often can reduce jaundice.

Feeding water and glucose is highly not recommended, as it does more harm than good. This is because bilirubin is mainly excreted through the stool, and very little is excreted through urine. The so-called frequent urination can reduce jaundice is not correct. For babies with limited stomach capacity, drinking boiled water and glucose water will bloat the stomach, leading to less milk intake, which will reduce the excretion of bilirubin through the stool, which is not conducive to the disappearance of jaundice.

What should be paid attention to when caring for neonatal jaundice at home?

1. Pay attention to the color of your baby’s stool

Pay attention to the color of your baby's stool. If there is a problem with the liver or bile duct, the stool will turn white, but it will not turn white suddenly, but will become lighter and lighter. If the body suddenly turns yellow, you must take it to the doctor. This is because under normal circumstances, the bilirubin processed by the liver will be excreted from the bile duct to the intestine, so the stool has color. However, when the bile duct is blocked, bilirubin accumulates in the liver and cannot be excreted, which will cause liver damage. At this time, surgery must be performed within two months of the baby to make the bile duct unblocked or create a new bile duct to improve the condition.

2. Observe your baby’s daily life

If you feel that your baby is looking increasingly yellow, has poor spirits and appetite, or has an unstable body temperature, is drowsy, or is prone to shrill crying, you should go to the hospital for a check-up.

3. Carefully observe changes in jaundice

Jaundice starts from the head and fades from the feet, and the eyes are the first to turn yellow and the last to fade, so you can start by observing the eyes. If you don't know how to look, experts suggest that you can press any part of the body. As long as the skin you press turns white, it's fine. If it turns yellow, you should pay attention.

4. Don’t make your home too dark

After your baby is discharged from the hospital and goes home, try not to make the house too dark, and don't draw the curtains too tightly. During the day, your baby should be close to the natural light near the window. It doesn't matter if the light is on or off. It won't have any effect. If your baby's jaundice index exceeds 15mg/dL in the hospital, the hospital will illuminate the room to change the structure of bilirubin due to photochemical reaction, so that it will not harm the brain structure and be metabolized (a fixed wavelength is required to be effective).

The reason why you should continue to expose your baby to natural light after returning home is that natural light has all wavelengths, so exposure to light will help more or less. In addition, if the house is too dark, it will affect the baby's absorption of vitamin D. However, do not expose your baby to direct sunlight, as it may cause sunburn and damage from ultraviolet rays.

5. Breastfeed frequently

If it is proven that jaundice is caused by insufficient feeding, the mother must feed the baby frequently, because milk secretion is a normal physiological reaction. Frequent sucking will stimulate the secretion of lactogen and more milk will be secreted. Never supplement with water or sugar water, thinking that the baby is not eating enough or that jaundice persists.