What is infant jaundice?

Child and Dental Clinic Noida

What is infant jaundice?

Infant jaundice is a condition where yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes usually appears between the second and fourth day after birth. Jaundice is a common condition in infants.  It is affecting over 50 % of all newborns.

Cause

At the time of birth, the newborn’s body contains a high quantity of bilirubin a yellow pigment produced during pregnancy period with a normal breakdown of red blood cells. That time the liver removes bilirubin from the blood and pass to the bowels so that it can leave the body. But after birth newborn baby's liver does not remove bilirubin as fast as it requires. Jaundice happens when bilirubin builds up faster than the liver can break it down and pass it from the body.

Symptoms

The symptom of newborn jaundice is a yellowing of a baby’s skin and eyes. Newborn jaundice is very common. In the majority cases, jaundice disappears within 2 to 3 weeks. But jaundice, when persists longer than 3 weeks, maybe an underlying condition. The other symptoms are babies with very high bilirubin levels may be sleepy, fussy, floppy, or have trouble feeding.

Treatment

Nowadays doctors or pediatricians check the newborn for jaundice and gave the right treatment before discharge. If your baby has jaundice that isn't going away then visit at your near by Child Specialist Doctor. You can contact the Best Pediatrician in Noida Dr. Vipin Jain.

The Child Specialist in Noida suggests that if your baby with jaundice for longer than 2 weeks need emergency treatment and more testing to check for other things that cause jaundice include infections, and problems with the liver or bile system, metabolism, or genes.