jaundice?

[RyvreWillow]

i think my babygirl might have jaundice, but i'm not sure. A couple of days ago, i noticed the whites of her eyes were a tiny bit yellowish, but i thought i might be imagining it. Her skin didn't look yellow at all, but now that she's a little less flushed-looking, i can see some areas that may be interpreted as yellowish (like at the end of her nose).

She's 6 days old, and when we left the hospital (at 24 hours), the nurse even made the comment (while we were signing out "AMA") that "oh, there's no way that baby has jaundice, she isn't yellow at all" Is this something that would have shown up before we left, or could it have happened after we came home?

We have an appointment for a checkup on Monday. Should i ask about it then, or call the doc and try to make an earlier appointment? Is there anything i can do at home? I'm trying to get her in the sunshine a little, i heard that might help.

She's only a tiny bit yellow, if at all. Maybe i'm just creating problems that aren't there?

[Rach]

it usually hits around day 5 (according to my midwife).
it's normal for babes to get a lil yellow.
keep nursing and let her have some sun.


my first daughter was yellow for two months, ped never said it was a problem.

[RyvreWillow]

*whew* that makes me feel alot better; surely there are different degrees of severity, and if it was bad enough to need immediate treatment, i wouldn't have any doubts about it!

[gethane]

Yeah, about 5-6 days is what I think too.

This is what my son looked like right before we had to put in one of those glo-worm blankets. See how orange he is? We didn't really "see" it. But you can definitely see it in the pictures.

http://home.alltel.net/sm00212/slate...s/day05-01.jpg

And he JUST BARELY was over the treat it/don't treat it limit. Here he is in his little glo-worm blanket

http://home.alltel.net/sm00212/slate...s/day07-01.jpg

Good luck! Hope that helps give you a comparison, if nothing else. My other kids ran a little jaundice too (all were early) but none of them tripped the treat/don't treat barrier before.

[RyvreWillow]

thank you for the pic (cute baby by the way!)

[gethane]

Thanks!

Sigh.. it goes so fast. He'll be 2 this month!

[lovnbnhome]

This is what I was told: If you push your thumb or finger into his legs and lift off the skin and see more of a yellow tint (in the thumbprint) then it is getting worse, if it is more white or pink then it is an OK level. That is what my ped told me about jaundice. It travels down from head to toes. If baby is nursing and pooping a lot that should help bc that is how the bilirubin leaves the body.

When you put him in the sun, make sure it is indirect light and totally naked for 5 minutes on front and then turn over to the back. Do that a couple times a day and that should help too.

hth

[operamommy]

You can also watch the color of poops as well. "Billi poops" are normally a dark icky green in breastfed babies; it's a good sign - it means all that stuff is leaving the body. Nurse, nurse, and nurse some more. My little guy just got done with 5 days of phototherapy, otherwise I'd have no clue!

[Aka mommy]

Kayleigh had jaundice & because our home gets no sunlight thru the windows we were told to take her out into the sun for 2 mins tops at a time in a blanket & diaper and to let the sun hit her with the blanket under her for warmth. It worked really well & got mommy fresh air as well.

[Mrs Dimples]

I'm lurking (due in March) but I wanted to say you're probably fine. If your baby is acting normally (not super sleepy, lethargic, shaky, etc) and is eating well and often and pooping lots, then you're fine. My son was at LEAST as yellow as gethane's babe in the picture and my ped said he was totally fine. Didn't even insinuate that his bili should be checked, he said we had a long way to go before we needed to worry. And I was pumping and bottlefeeding EBM so I KNOW he was getting a ton to eat, I could count the ounces. I think almost all BF babies are a little yellow, no big deal. If he's real yellow all the way down to his legs and feet and acting funny, then I would take him in. Otherwise, take a seat on the couch and have fun nursing.