What to do if your newborn baby has yellow tears

Many newborn babies have tears in their eyes. We need to clean their tears in time to prevent them from clogging the tear glands. Sometimes babies will shed yellow tears. There are many reasons for this situation. It may be because the baby is too young or gets too hot. If your baby's eyes are yellow, it may be due to dacryocystitis. It may also be due to the baby frequently rubbing his eyes with his hands. Let's talk about how to solve the problem of yellow tears in babies.

Most newborns' eyes begin to produce tears around 3 weeks old. These tears drain into the nose through tiny tear ducts at the inner corner of the eye. During the first few weeks or a month or two, you may see a yellow, thick discharge from one or both of your baby's eyes.

1. Why do we shed yellow tears?

1. This is usually caused by blocked tear ducts. During childbirth, these ducts that pass through the end of the nose are sometimes covered by a thin membrane, which then quickly opens up after birth to allow tears to flow. Sometimes the membrane is not completely opened and the tear duct becomes blocked, causing tears to accumulate in the eye. Tears that are not discharged in time are prone to infection. Once this happens, the fluid from the baby's eyes will be yellow, indicating that the blocked tear duct has become infected.

2. The baby may have dacryocystitis. In about 2 to 4% of full-term infants, the embryonic residual membrane at the lower end of the nasolacrimal duct does not degenerate, blocking the nasolacrimal duct, causing tears and bacteria to accumulate in the lacrimal sac, causing infection and leading to neonatal dacryocystitis. However, most of the residual membranes can shrink on their own within 4 to 6 weeks after birth. When your baby is feeding or sleeping, use your fingers to massage the tear sac area at the base of the baby's nose and along the wings of the nose from top to bottom.

2. How to unclog your baby's tear ducts

Gently massage the raised area under your eyes near your nose—the tear duct is just below it. Massage downward and inward (towards nose) about 6 times. This massage can be done at any time, such as before each diaper change (you should wash your hands first). Massage will compress the fluid that has built up inside, which will eventually break the diaphragm and empty the tube. If your baby's eyes continue to discharge yellow fluid, ask your doctor to teach you how to massage the tear ducts during a physical examination. If the yellow discharge continues, your baby's doctor will prescribe antibiotic ointment or eye drops. Many mothers will find that when they put a few drops of their own breast milk (which contains natural antibacterial substances) into their baby's eyes, the yellow tears disappear.