Premature baby jaundice has not subsided after 50 days

Jaundice is more common in premature babies than in full-term babies. If the jaundice does not disappear after more than 50 days, it is often caused by pathological jaundice. At this time, you must pay attention to good treatment and strengthen good care at ordinary times. You can cover the child’s eyes and take the baby outside to bask in the sun when the temperature is relatively suitable. In addition, you must pay attention to regular treatment. Let’s take a look at this aspect.

Premature baby jaundice has not subsided after 50 days

At this time, it is most likely breast milk jaundice. The characteristics of breast milk jaundice are: the degree of jaundice is higher than physiological jaundice, and the duration of jaundice is long, sometimes lasting as long as three months. However, the infant was generally well, and no other cause of jaundice could be found. Three days after stopping breastfeeding, the jaundice decreased significantly.

It is currently believed that this type of breast milk contains a substance that inhibits the binding process of bilirubin and promotes the absorption of bilirubin from the intestine. The manifestation is that physiological jaundice takes a long time to subside, and the jaundice reaches its peak at the end of the second week, and takes 1-2 months to subside. Although the jaundice is deep and persistent, there are no other abnormalities in the child. If breastfeeding is stopped for 2-3 days, the jaundice will be significantly alleviated. If breastfeeding is resumed, the jaundice may deepen slightly but will not reach the original degree. Breast milk jaundice will not cause adverse consequences, and breastfeeding should not be stopped once the diagnosis is confirmed. Parents can take their babies out to bask in the sun more. In fact, as long as it is not pathological jaundice, it doesn’t matter much.

This may also be the case if the baby's jaundice does not subside after 50 days. Some newborns will have this unexplained jaundice for a long time. There is no new medical explanation at present. You can consult a Chinese medicine doctor and take some herbal medicine, and things will gradually return to normal. It will not affect the baby's development.

Adverse effects of severe or prolonged jaundice

Neonatal jaundice is generally divided into two categories: physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice. What impact will it have on the baby if the jaundice is too severe or lasts too long?

1. Excessive jaundice indicates that the baby's bilirubin is too high. If the bilirubin index exceeds 20, the most important basal ganglia (basalganglion) in the baby's brain will be damaged and die. As a result, it may cause cerebral palsy in the future, causing lifelong damage to the baby's intelligence, hearing, vision and mobility. The consequences are very serious and must be treated with caution.

If kernicterus occurs, the baby will experience symptoms such as poor appetite, drowsiness, and decreased activity. The most obvious symptoms are a very sharp and piercing cry, the body arching backwards, extreme irritability, and even fever and convulsions. Kernicterus is more likely to occur in premature infants and babies with sepsis caused by various reasons. Even if the index does not exceed 20, kernicterus may occur in the early stage and special attention should be paid.

Modern medicine is able to reduce excessive jaundice at an early stage by using methods such as radiotherapy and blood transfusion, and can also diagnose it at an early stage, so the chance of developing kernicterus has been greatly reduced.

2. If the jaundice is too high or persists, it often indicates that the baby has certain diseases or potential problems.