What should I do if the jaundice value of the newborn is 20?

Jaundice is a symptom that easily develops in newborns. Many parents lack knowledge about jaundice, so they don’t know what to do when they find symptoms of jaundice in their newborns. We recommend that parents learn more about jaundice so that they will not be at a loss when newborns develop jaundice. Below we will introduce what to do if the jaundice value of a newborn is 20.

1. Light therapy

It is a simple and effective method to reduce serum unconjugated bilirubin. Place the newborn baby in a phototherapy box, protect both eyes with black eye masks to avoid damaging the retina, cover the perineum and anus with a diaper, and leave the rest of the body exposed. Use single-sided or double-sided light irradiation for 2 to 48 hours (generally not more than 4 days). Treatment can be stopped when bilirubin drops below 7 mg/dL.

2. Exchange blood therapy

Exchange transfusion can effectively reduce bilirubin, replace sensitized red blood cells and alleviate anemia. However, blood transfusion requires certain conditions and may also produce some adverse reactions, so the indications should be strictly followed.

3. Medication

Supply albumin, correct metabolic acidosis, liver enzyme inducers (such as phenobarbital), and use intravenous immune globulin.

Neonatal jaundice is very harmful to the baby. Neonatal jaundice of 20% is relatively high and requires hospitalization. Neonatal jaundice is easy to identify. The baby's face starts to turn yellow and tends to become more and more yellow. This is physiological jaundice of the newborn. Generally, the time to treat baby jaundice is not very long. The baby's jaundice will slowly subside in 3-5 days.