three4me Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) My friend has a newborn (six days old, born three weeks before EDD) who has jaundice. They live in a country with not so great medical care (so we don't really know the degree of jaundice - the ped they saw today just said to put her in the sunlight in the car) and can't bring her to the US for another few weeks. I'm trying to help her figure out how to deal with the jaundice in the meantime. Don't car windows block UV rays? It's too cool outside to just bring baby out in the sunshine naked. Their house doesn't get very much light to do it through a window. I'm wondering if one of those light therapy lamps that are used for SAD would do the trick. But I don't know enough about it to know if it's the same kind of light that will lower the bilirubin levels. Anyone have any ideas? Edited February 10, 2017 by three4me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 My friend has a newborn who has jaundice. They live in a country with not so great medical care and can't bring her to the US for another few weeks. I'm trying to help her figure out how to deal with the jaundice in the meantime. It's too cool outside to just bring baby out in the sunshine naked. Their house doesn't get very much light to do it through a window. I'm wondering if one of those light therapy lamps that are used for SAD would do the trick. But I don't know enough about it to know if it's the same kind of light that will lower the bilirubin levels. Anyone have any ideas? Is your friend breastfeeding? How old is the newborn? Here are some articles about jaundice and breastfeeding babies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 I am not a doctor, but if the jaundice is moderate to severe, the baby really needs to be seen. If it happened right after birth - within the first couple of days - it may be something as simple as feeding the baby more often. Way more often. Maybe her milk hadn't come in yet and baby is struggling to excrete excess bilirubin If it's been 4+ days, it's probably a different type of jaundice. Either way, I think treatment is to feed more often and use the lights at certain levels of bilirubin. The only other thing I know is that lights they use in a hospital are the blue/green lights, not UV lights, and you need eye protection and proper timing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
three4me Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 She's six days old. I don't think it's severe, or even moderate. The doctor just looked at her and said to put her in the sun six times a day. I'll tell my friend to increase feedings. She is breastfeeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Ds22 got up to a 22 several days after birth. At that time in our area, they considered blood transfusions at 23. The recommendation at that time, was sunshine and nursing as often as he would take fluids, but at least every 2 hours. We had to put him in the sun every couple of hours, with just his diaper and a cover on his eyes. I have had friend's babies that were put under UV lamps at lower numbers. I have no idea how doctors decide which way to treat them. For us, it worked. I don't know about car windows, except that side windows have less UV protection than the front windows. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 She's six days old. I don't think it's severe, or even moderate. The doctor just looked at her and said to put her in the sun six times a day. I'll tell my friend to increase feedings. She is breastfeeding. Totally off topic....what is the image in your avatar. I can't figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Our son had jaundice. I had him sleep right next to a sunny window in the afternoons with just his diaper on, and apparently that did the trick for him. He was under a doctor's care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) levels peak at 3 - 5 days then will gradually come down on their own. the main concern, is preventing them from getting high enough to do permanent harm. ok .. dudeling had a bili level of 22 and climbing when he was admitted into the hospital nursery at 69 hrs old. he was put under four different types of lights and given an iv for hydration. my hospital starts looking at blood transfusions when the bili level reaches 28. he dropped below 20 very quickly once he was under lights and on an iv for hydration. he was there for six days, his bili was 12 at discharge - which is still considered high, but it was falling without lights and he was feeding. (for perspective, my ped complained and rec'd lights for one of mine with a bili of 9 . . .) I don't want to scare you, but to let you know if his levels are very high, this is a real concern. my grandfather's baby sister died at 3 days old (born in january) attributed to "jaundice". his baby cousin (born in dec.) died at 5 days old - attributed to jaundice. jaundiced babies want to sleep more, and feed less. he will need to be woken up to feed. every three hours. they did gavauge a few feedings just to let him sleep. first - get fluid in this baby, as much as you can. count wet diapers and how wet they are, and what the stool looks like - and take them seriously. the SAD lights are better than regular room light - leave him in only his diaper - and cover his eyes. if he can be left in a sunny window - do so. keep him under the lights for as long as possible. always check the temperature - as they can make the baby hot and sweaty. has the dr/midwife given ANY instructions for care for newborn jaundice? eta: the bili that comes out in the stool will really do a number on newborn skin- be sure for very good diaper cream. Edited February 10, 2017 by gardenmom5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Therapy lights for SAD are blue light - not UVA/UVB. However, you can get UV lamps for reptiles. I don't know if that would work either, I'm just throwing it out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 my half-remembered understanding about jaundice is that there's a dangerous sort that must be treated and a not as dangerous sort that will very likely take care of itself with regular feeding in a couple of weeks. DS2 had the not as dangerous sort - he was yellowish, and it abated in a couple of weeks. I am almost certain it had something to do with blood type, and as DH has nothing that could cause whatever the dangerous sort of problem was (he is 0-), then DS2 couldn't have the dangerous sort when combined with my blood type and all was well. Do they know the mom's and dad's blood types? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Oh, a quick google found it: When this occurs, the mother's blood cells develop antibodies that can attack the newborn's blood cells and cause jaundice. The risk of this is highest near or during delivery. A-B-O incompatibility occurs when: the mother is type O and the baby is B, A, or AB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 One of mine had some Jaundice when he was a few days old. I lay him clothed only in a nappy in front of a full light window for many days( I cannot recall how many). I was worried about him getting sunburned but he didn't. I also went on many pram rides with him scantily clothed and the pram bonnet up. My twin brothers had a not so good case of Jaundice. They had to go back into hospital and spend at least 2 weeks under lights. they had to be woken for feeding and it was a big ordeal to keep them awake long enough for them to eat enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 When Calvin had mild jaundice, we were told to put him in front of a (house) window in the sunshine. We laid him on our big bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 My oldest ds had jaundice. The hospital had a visiting nurse who came to our house several times and wrapped him up in a biliblanket, which is a blanket with lights in it. I hope your friend's little one improves soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 One of mine had some Jaundice when he was a few days old. I lay him clothed only in a nappy in front of a full light window for many days( I cannot recall how many). I was worried about him getting sunburned but he didn't. I also went on many pram rides with him scantily clothed and the pram bonnet up. Apparently ordinary window glass blocks the sunburn rays but not the good-for-jaundice rays (technical terms). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 While one of my nephews was fine after a few days laying in sunlight in my sister's dining room, my youngest needed to wear eye shades and lie naked except for a diaper under those special lights. Initially the hospital wrapped her in something, but it didn't help enough after a few hours so the pediatrician ordered them to bring in the lights. I had to go home and leave her until the next morning (insurance would not let me stay). So it depends on the amount of jaundice. If the baby's doctor is not worried, then daylight through a household window should be fine. If the house is too dark, can't they go to another house, or public space for a few hours a day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Pretty much all babies get jaundiced. It is a normal physiological process in newborns. Jaundice can also be very serious in babies. The concern is if the levels get too high then the bilirubin crosses the blood brain barrier and causes kernicterus which leads to permanent neurological damage. The two main ways to treat jaundice are hydration and light therapy. Hydration because the way we get rid of bilirubin is through urine and stool. So the more the baby eats, the better. The problem is babies with jaundice are often very sleepy and so it is tougher to get them to eat. You can also put them in sunlight but more effective is frequent feeding. If we really need to do light, the lights that can be done in a hospital are much more effective. For your friend's baby I would do as much sunlight as possible but concentrate more on feeding a lot....at least every 2 hours or 12 times a day. There is also breastmilk jaundice, which is different. Breastfed babies tend to have low levels of jaundice that can last a long time (up to 4-6 weeks). It is not harmful and does not get to a level that is dangerous. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
three4me Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 Thanks everyone! I talked to my friend and she says it's just mild. Just to be sure they're going to stop at a lab today to get her level checked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
three4me Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 Totally off topic....what is the image in your avatar. I can't figure it out. Lol, it's just a photo of the latticework at our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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