How is jaundice in newborns treated?
Treatment of jaundice depends on the amount of bilirubin present in your baby’s blood. It will also depend on how long your baby was inside the womb (gestational age) and his condition now. If your baby has no health problems, watchful waiting may be all that is needed. Caregivers will watch your baby closely for a period of time. If this is the case, in 1 to 2 weeks the jaundice usually goes away on its own, as the baby’s liver matures. Ask your baby’s caregiver if you need to make changes to how often you feed your baby. What problems can jaundice in newborns cause? Jaundice is a common and often harmless problem in newborns, but may get worse if left untreated. The bilirubin level may become very high and cause problems in the brain. This may lead to hearing loss or brain damage, and may even be life-threatening. Jaundice usually does not cause any long-term harm if treatment begins as soon as jaundice is seen.
Treatment of jaundice depends on the amount of bilirubin present in your baby’s blood. It will also depend on how long your baby was inside the womb (gestational age) and his condition now. • If your baby is full term (at least 37 weeks inside womb) and has no health problems, watchful waiting may be all that is needed. Caregivers will watch your baby closely for a period of time. If this is the case, in 1 to 2 weeks the jaundice usually goes away on its own, as the baby’s liver matures. Ask your baby’s caregiver if you need to make changes to how often you feed your baby. • If your baby is premature (less than 37 weeks inside the womb) or has other health problems, he may need treatment. Caregivers may treat your baby with phototherapy. Phototherapy uses lights to help remove extra bilirubin from the body. If your baby’s jaundice is very serious, caregivers may do a procedure called exchange transfusion. This is done by removing your baby’s blood and replacing it with donated blood fr
