What should I do if my newborn baby has yellow skin?

Many parents pay great attention to their baby's physical condition, especially newborn babies. Some families have just given birth to a baby, but found that the baby's skin is yellow. What's going on? What should I do? Then let’s ask an authoritative expert to explain to you what is going on.

Yellowing of the skin is common in babies who are exclusively breastfed. Jaundice usually occurs 3 to 7 days after birth and slowly deepens. It is darkest at 1 to 2 months, the same color as orange peel. The baby can eat and sleep well and is in good spirits. If a blood test for bilirubin is done, the bilirubin level is usually below 20 mg per 100 ml of blood. The baby's liver and spleen are not enlarged, there is no anemia, the white blood cell count is not high, and the liver function is normal.

Why do breastfed babies develop jaundice? It's not very clear so far. Most scholars believe that breast milk contains a special substance that can convert the conjugated bilirubin in the baby's intestines into unconjugated bilirubin. Unconjugated bilirubin is easily absorbed by the intestines and enters the blood. As a result, the bilirubin concentration in the baby's blood is high, causing the skin to turn yellow.

What should parents do if they find their baby’s skin has turned yellow? The baby should be taken to the hospital to see a pediatrician. Because breast milk jaundice can be easily confused with other diseases that can cause yellowing of the baby's skin, such as infection, hemolysis, hepatitis, etc., pediatricians can distinguish them through examinations and tests. Once the pediatrician confirms that your baby has breast milk jaundice, you don't have to go to the hospital anymore.

Breast milk jaundice does not require medication. If the condition is mild, you can continue to breastfeed, but if the condition is severe, you should stop breastfeeding and switch to other formula milk. During the period of stopping breastfeeding, use a breast pump to empty the breasts to prevent a decrease in breast milk secretion. Because jaundice is caused by breast milk, jaundice will be significantly alleviated after 3 to 4 days of stopping breast milk. If this is the case, breastfeeding should be resumed. Even if the jaundice worsens, it will not reach its original degree. As the child grows older, jaundice will gradually disappear. If the jaundice does not improve after stopping breastfeeding, or even worsens, you should take your child to the hospital for further examination.

The above is the relevant article about yellow skin in babies. Parents should remember that no matter what disease the baby has, if you don’t know much about it, don’t give the baby medicine casually, otherwise it is likely to make the condition worse.