The arrival of a newborn is a joyous occasion, but for Somilanathi Thinga from Cape Town, it came with a touch of worry and unexpected yellow.
“My baby boy was born yellow in skin colour,” Somilanathi recalls. “The whites of his eyes were also yellow, and his urine and poop seemed much yellower than brown.” These signs pointed towards a common condition in newborns: jaundice.
Characterised by yellowing of the skin and eyes, jaundice can briefly dim the glow of a baby’s arrival, as the sight of a jaundiced baby may cause concern.
Common in babies
“After a nap, he would struggle to open his eyes, as they would look like he had an infection. I had zero knowledge about jaundice up until the gynaecologist informed me of the diagnoses before we were discharged and advised on what I needed to do,” continues Thinga.
“I did worry that I ate something that created this, and I do not recall the explanation or cause of jaundice other than being told that it has become common in new babies. So I still do not know what not to do when pregnant to prevent it.”
She says the doctor advised her to feed her baby every two hours, even at night, which meant setting alarms to wake him up. Additionally, a follow-up visit would determine if further treatment, such as light therapy to burn his jaundice, would be necessary.
Furthermore, Thinga alerts new moms not to panic but to listen to their doctor and stop googling everything or asking for advice on social media.
Working as a medical doctor in paediatrics and child health, Dr Nhlakanipho Ngcamu from Gauteng defines jaundice as a yellow discolouration of the skin and eyes of a baby. He says it is a fairly common condition, as between 50 and 60% of normal newborns become jaundiced in the first week of life.
“The lifespan of the red blood cell in a newborn baby is shorter compared to that of an adult, which puts all newborns at risk for neonatal jaundice.”
Causes of jaundice
Ngcamu says the causes of jaundice are vast and notes the common ones as:
- Breastfeeding jaundice: This condition is related to the feeding of the child. If the child is not getting enough milk or is not feeding because the mother has no milk or the baby can’t breastfeed for whatever reason, they get jaundice.
- Physiological jaundice: It’s related to the lifespan of the red blood cell, as aforementioned.
- Breastmilk jaundice: Doctors don’t know why it happens, but it is seen in breastfed babies.
“Other causes include infections and underlying structural abnormalities of the baby’s liver. Other risk factors include prematurity, moms who have a blood group O, moms who are rhesus negative, babies’s stools changing colour, and babies that had birth trauma or injuries tend to have jaundice more.”
Ngcamu emphasises the importance of seeking medical help all the time, as they need to establish how high the level of jaundice is, and that can only be established in a medical establishment.
“The treatment of jaundice depends on the level of the jaundice, but it is usually treated by phototherapy, which is a blue light that we shine on the baby’s skin to bring down the jaundice.”
“Private hospitals can sometimes give this light with what we call bili blankets, which can be used at home for babies with jaundice. Unfortunately, for government hospitals, we generally don’t have this option. If your child requires phototherapy, that means the baby must be admitted and get this light in the hospital.”
If it is established that the jaundice level doesn’t need phototherapy, Ngcamu says they can often advise exposing the baby to reasonable sunlight. He emphasises not undressing the baby and putting it in direct sunlight, but some sunlight may be next to the windows with the baby dressed.
“Sometimes a baby’s jaundice is so severe that they need to exchange blood in the hospital. They take out the blood that has jaundice and put in new one without jaundice.”
“Prevention against jaundice includes adequate breastfeeding on demand, or every three hours. Newborn babies are supposed to be fed at least eight times a day.”
Ngcamu underlines that jaundice, if untreated, is very dangerous and can lead to irreversible brain damage, which may affect the child later on.
“If you see it, don’t ignore it; seek medical help. Only try home remedies after being cleared by your doctor.”
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