![]() ![]() ![]() Practices that interfere with breastfeeding-separation of mother and baby, rigid feeding schedules (as opposed to 8-12 or more feedings in each 24 hours), lack of skin-to-skin contact, early use of pacifiers, and poor positioning or latch (limiting milk transfer)-result in fewer breast feedings, fewer stools, and a greater risk for worsening jaundice. Frequent breastfeeding results in frequent stools (infant formula lacks this special laxative). Colostrum, the first milk a mother’s body makes, acts as a natural laxative to cause the passage of meconium. Your baby’s first stools consist of meconium, a black, sticky substance that contains, on average, 450 mg of bilirubin (a lot!). So babies with jaundice should be carefully monitored and treated if their bilirubin levels get too high. Low levels of bilirubin are safe, but prolonged high levels may cause brain damage if left untreated. In the meantime, it can be hard for babies to get rid of the bilirubin that collects after birth. It takes several days or weeks (even longer in preterm babies) before a newborn’s liver functions fully. The liver filters bilirubin from the blood and excretes it in stool. After birth, these extra cells break down, releasing a substance called bilirubin. When babies are inside the uterus they need extra red blood cells to meet their oxygen needs. Newborn jaundice is usually mild and seldom requires treatment, but it does require evaluation and follow-up with your baby’s health care provider. Although jaundice sounds scary, in most cases it is simply a sign that your baby is adjusting to life outside the uterus. You will know your baby has jaundice if his skin and the whites of his eyes appear yellow, although a blood test can reveal just how jaundiced he is. ![]() Jaundice is a common newborn condition, affecting about 60 percent of full-term infants and 80 percent of preterm infants in the first week of life. ![]()
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