Blue light for baby jaundice

Newborn babies have imperfect body functions and their immune systems are not very strong, which makes them immune-compromised and vulnerable to diseases. In infancy, the most active pathological symptom is jaundice. Jaundice, as a common disease, can be either physiological or pathological. For the former, we don't need to pay too much attention to it. As long as we let the baby get more sun exposure and supplement nutrition, jaundice will naturally disappear. However, if it is determined to be the latter, it requires the parents' attention and they should take the child to the hospital as soon as possible.

Although the jaundice of some babies goes away naturally, it has caused damage to the brain, which the young mothers are unaware of; some babies' jaundice persists for a long time and they have to go to the hospital for treatment, spending a lot of medical expenses. Some babies are even in danger of death due to progressive worsening of jaundice, or they survive but suffer brain damage (cerebral palsy). This is not to scare mothers, as it is not uncommon in pediatric clinical practice. Why do newborns have jaundice? Why do newborns have jaundice? This is because during the fetal period, oxygen is relatively scarce, and a large number of red blood cells are produced in the blood to compensate for the lack of oxygen in each red blood cell. After birth, newborns can supply their own oxygen, so the demand for red blood cells decreases, so a large number of red blood cells are destroyed and excess bilirubin is produced. At this time, the liver function of the newborn is not yet fully developed, and it cannot convert all bilirubin into hepatobilirubin, resulting in excessive accumulation of hemobilirubin in the blood. As the blood flows, it turns the skin and mucous membranes yellow, causing neonatal jaundice. Experts emphasize that if jaundice appears early in a newborn, reappears after the physiological jaundice subsides and the color becomes darker, and is accompanied by other symptoms, it may be pathological jaundice. Its symptoms are yellow skin, bloodshot eyes, tears and urine which are sometimes also yellow. If the newborn is listless, cries weakly and refuses to eat, he or she should be sent to the hospital for examination as soon as possible. Who are the high-risk infants for jaundice? For low-birth-weight infants, asphyxiated infants, infants with maternal-fetal blood type incompatibility, and other high-risk newborns who are prone to hyperbilirubinemia, their serum bilirubin should be monitored as early as possible after birth, and phototherapy should be given if necessary. Is it necessary to use blue light for newborns with jaundice? Most physiological jaundice does not require treatment. If the jaundice is pathological, it needs treatment, and light therapy is considered to be a very safe and effective method. The specific method is to let the baby take off all clothes and lie in the crib (eyes need to be covered) and place it under a blue fluorescent light. This method often relieves jaundice because the ultraviolet light converts bilirubin into a form that is more easily excreted through your baby's urine. Another treatment option is to wrap your baby in a fiber optic blanket. The main treatment for neonatal jaundice is blue light irradiation, which is very safe. Some babies may experience side effects such as rash and diarrhea, which disappear after the irradiation stops. Protect your eyes when looking at light. Phototherapy is usually very effective, but if your baby's jaundice is severe or your bilirubin levels continue to rise despite phototherapy, your baby may need exchange transfusion. Experts from the Neonatology Department of Shenzhen Far East Women's and Children's Hospital kindly remind you: Neonatal jaundice may be complicated by sepsis, neonatal pneumonia, biliary atresia, and breast milk jaundice. Therefore, early detection and early treatment are necessary.

Simply put, blue light irradiation treatment for jaundice can restore the secretion of bilirubin to normal, thereby achieving the effect of eliminating jaundice. At the same time, we can choose to stop breastfeeding the baby when appropriate. Breast milk contains too many substances, which is also an important cause of jaundice. In short, we expectant mothers should pay attention to exercise, maintenance, and rest before delivery, and take our babies out to get some sun after delivery. This can also help remove jaundice.