Prolonged jaundice in newborns, what to do?

Video content is professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Tran Lien Anh - Neonatology Department - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Neonatal jaundice is common in premature infants, making the metabolism of excess bilirubin unable to occur, leading to jaundice. The more excess bilirubin, the longer the process of hyperbilirubinemia in babies.

Persistent jaundice is a condition in which an infant has jaundice for more than 1 week (even though the baby was born at full term) or for more than 2-3 weeks (for babies born prematurely before 37 weeks of gestation). This case should be examined for jaundice and have a specific treatment for jaundice prescribed by a doctor.
The cause of prolonged neonatal jaundice is usually because the baby's liver is not mature enough to remove bilirubin from the blood - a yellow pigment produced when red blood cells are destroyed. While in the womb, the mother's liver takes care of this process, but after birth the baby's body has to take care of it while the newborn's body produces a large number of blood cells and is relatively degraded. fast. This phenomenon is called physiological jaundice.
The first manifestation of neonatal jaundice is a yellow color in the baby's skin and eyes. Yellow color can begin within 2 to 4 days after birth and can start on the face before spreading down the body. Bilirubin levels usually peak between 3 and 7 days after birth. You can check the baby's jaundice by gently pressing a finger on the baby's skin, causing the area to turn yellow, which could be a sign of neonatal jaundice.
Most cases of neonatal jaundice are normal, but sometimes neonatal jaundice can indicate other conditions. Severe neonatal jaundice also increases the risk of bilirubin entering the brain, which can cause permanent brain damage.
For children with high levels of bilirubin can increase the risk of deafness, cerebral palsy or other forms of brain damage. Therefore, experts always recommend that all newborns be checked for jaundice (or at least 8 to 12 hours) before discharge and a few days after discharge.
Mild neonatal jaundice will usually resolve on its own as the baby's liver begins to mature. Frequent feedings (8 to 12 times a day) will help your baby pass bilirubin through the body. More severe neonatal jaundice may require other treatments for jaundice. Phototherapy is one of the popular and highly effective treatments for jaundice, which uses light to break down bilirubin in the baby's body.
When the child has signs of prolonged jaundice that does not stop or the child's body is abnormally yellow, it may be light yellow, dark yellow, brownish yellow... it is best to visit a health care provider to have a diagnosis. Determine the exact cause of neonatal jaundice. Neonatal jaundice should not be allowed to last for a long time or use unfounded folk remedies and remedies that not only will not cure the disease but may interfere with the treatment process later on.