Hearing that your newborn has been diagnosed with jaundice can be scary at first, if it’s something you’re not familiar with. But don't worry! The more you learn about neonatal jaundice, the more you'll realize that this condition is actually really common and usually harmless. Not to mention, treatments like SnugLit can help ensure that jaundice won’t be a major disruption to your exciting new experience with your newborn.

It’s Very Common in Newborns
Most babies are actually affected by jaundice to some extent. This condition is present in 60% of full-term newborns and up to 80% of premature babies.

Frequent Breastfeeding Helps
Frequently breastfeeding your baby is actually a great way to keep their bilirubin levels down. Most newborns should do so about 8-12 times per day. Not only can this help improve the mother’s milk supply, it can also help decrease bilirubin levels since bowel movements will increase as well, allowing for excretion of excess bilirubin. Luckily with SnugLit, you won’t have to remove your baby from treatment to be able to breastfeed!

Phototherapy is a Common Treatment
Based on a newborn's age, severity, and cause of jaundice, many babies require treatment to lower their bilirubin levels. One of the most commonly recommended treatments is phototherapy- a type of light treatment that uses blue light. During this treatment, your baby is exposed to as much of this light as possible. It gets absorbed by their skin and blood to help change bilirubin into a form that can be safely passed through their system. 
 
Risk Factors and Causes
The main risk factors and causes for severe jaundice include:

• Premature birth
• Excessive bruising during birth
• Blood type incompatibility between mother and baby
• Underdeveloped or malfunctioning liver
• Difficulties with feeding
• Medical conditions, such as blood clotting problems
• Red blood cell abnormalities
• Enzyme deficiency
• Infections
• Internal bleeding
• Race (East Asian backgrounds have an increased risk)

When You’ll Notice It
One of the first signs of jaundice is the yellowing of your baby’s skin. Since this coloration may not be obvious, you can actually check for this condition by gently pressing on your baby’s nose or forehead to see if the skin looks yellow when you let your finger up. Most newborns have physiological jaundice, which is considered mild and short-lasting. You’ll generally notice this within the first 2-4 days after birth.

Hearing that your baby has been diagnosed with jaundice can be very scary as a new parent. We understand this and want to help you learn about what it is and how common it really is.

First of all, don’t panic! It’s normal for babies to have at least some degree of jaundice and this shouldn’t usually cause any issues. Physiologic jaundice is the most common type of jaundice and it actually exists in about 60% of full-term newborns within the US, so you’re not alone here.

Jaundice occurs because your newborn’s blood has too much bilirubin built up in it. Bilirubin is a molecule that forms when red blood cells get broken down. It has a yellow pigment and gets broken down by the liver. So, when there is too much of this, it can build up and cause a yellow discoloration of a newborn’s skin and eyes. This yellow discoloration generally begins within the first 2-4 days after birth and usually starts in their face before spreading to the rest of the body. If jaundice occurs starting on the first day of life or extends past 1 week, this could become a problem larger than physiological jaundice.

It’s important to treat jaundice because these bilirubin molecules can reach into the brain. This can lead to other conditions such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, or even death. While jaundice treatment is common and doesn’t cause any lasting effects, if levels are left high and untreated it can lead to these serious issues.
 
What to Look For:

• Yellow coloration of the skin
• Yellow coloration of the eyes
• Your baby seems to be lacking energy, sick, very sleepy, or hard to wake up
• Your baby isn’t gaining weight or feeding much
• Any other signs or symptoms that appear concerning
  
  

Possible Causes/Risk Factors:

• Liver is not fully developed or has a malfunction
• A blood incompatibility between mother and baby
• Premature birth
• Medical conditions, such as blood clotting issues
• Excessive bruising during birth
• Difficulties breastfeeding or getting enough nutrition
• Abnormality of your baby’s red blood cells that causes them to rapidly break down
• Enzyme deficiency
• Blood infection (sepsis)
• Viral or bacterial infections
• Internal bleeding (Hemorrhage)

 
Recommended Resources for More Information:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infant-jaundice/symptoms-causes/syc-20373865
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/best-not-worry-baby-jaundice/
https://americanpregnancy.org/first-year-of-life/newborn-jaundice/
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/umphototherapy.htm