Are you looking for a jaundice treatment for your baby? This article discusses the breast feeding jaundice treatment along with the causes of breast milk jaundice, what causes jaundice in a breastfed baby, etc.
Breastfeeding is associated with two types of jaundice. Breastfeeding jaundice is the early onset of jaundice caused by a lack of calories and/or inadequate feeding.
Increasing feeding patterns may aid in the prevention or treatment of this type of jaundice, particularly if the bilirubin level is rising.
Breast milk jaundice, on the other hand, appears later and is linked to abnormalities in the breast milk itself.
If bilirubin concentrations in healthy full-term infants remain below 270mumol/l, breastmilk jaundice syndrome or prolonged jaundice does not require much treatment.
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When the bilirubin concentration is above 270mumol/l or rising, breastfeeding should be stopped temporarily.
Breast milk jaundice appears after the first week of life and lasts longer than physiologic jaundice with no known cause.
Breastfeeding jaundice appears in the first few days of life, peaks in the following weeks, and then disappears by week three.
Breastfeeding jaundice causes mild dehydration and weight loss in infants in their first few days of life.
Causes of Breast Milk Jaundice
After the first week of life, breast milk jaundice is observed. While the exact cause is unknown, substances in breast milk may prevent certain proteins in the baby’s liver from breaking down bilirubin.
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What Causes Jaundice in a Breastfed Baby?
As was previously mentioned what causes jaundice in a breastfed baby, there are other several potential causes of jaundice in babies and newborns.
The most common cause is breast milk overfeeding. Because the baby’s liver is too small, it can rarely handle the enzymes found in milk, especially if the baby is overfed.
Other causes include diseases, anemia, or a physical liver defect. Jaundice in newborns and babies can be treated naturally, regardless of the cause.
When it comes to jaundice, the natural treatment is the most effective because it is a disease that your own body needs to eliminate – using an outside force in the form of medications does not work and often makes the disease worse.
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Breast Feeding Jaundice Treatment At Home
What can I do?
The more a baby poops, the quicker jaundice will go away. The more milk your baby drinks, the more poop he will produce.
As a result, jaundiced breastfeeding babies should breastfeed as frequently as possible. You can also feed your baby supplemental formula.
This is frequently useful because breastfeeding mothers (particularly first-time breastfeeding mothers) produce very little liquid in the first few days of life, resulting in babies who do not drink much.
Colostrum is the first form of breast milk; it is followed a day or two later by transitional breast milk and, eventually (by day three or four), by larger volumes of breast milk.
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If a baby does not drink much during his first few days of life, he will not poop much.
The supplemental formula promotes more stooling. Breastfeeding should not be stopped; instead, the formula is used in addition to early breast milk.
Once breast milk has been introduced, the formula can be discontinued because the breast milk will do the job.
You can also expose your baby to direct sunlight for 10 to 20 minutes at a time, once or twice per day. He should be naked (except for a diaper) and kept inside a window to keep him warm (rather than being held outside).
Sunlight aids in the resolution of jaundice by converting bilirubin into a form that can be pooped out more efficiently and urinated out as well.
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Unfortunately, indoor lighting, such as a lamp or overhead light, does not function in the same way that sunlight does. As a result, turning on the lights will not help resolve jaundice any faster.
When does my doctor need to be involved?
Your doctor should examine your baby if he or she appears yellow. This is especially true if the baby is less than 24 hours old or older than one month, or if the yellow discoloration worsens over time.
Remember that jaundice progresses down the baby’s body as the bilirubin level rises, so a yellow discoloration in the face indicates a much lower bilirubin level than yellow discoloration down to the toes.
What tests need to be done, and what do the results mean?
A blood test can be used to determine the level of bilirubin. If the level is high, it should be checked again in a few days.
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If a baby is exposed to special blue fluorescent lights, known as phototherapy lights, to help the level fall, the blood test must be repeated to ensure that the number is decreasing appropriately.
When the level is borderline, it is rechecked a day or two later (without the baby being placed under lights) to ensure it is not rapidly rising.
A new technique for measuring bilirubin levels without drawing blood has been developed. This method employs a sticker that is adhered to the skin.
While still in its early stages, transcutaneous (across the skin) bilirubin measurements may become much more common in the coming years.
Is there a difference between jaundice in babies, and jaundice in adults?
No. The only difference is the cause: in adults, jaundice is usually caused by a poor diet or excessive alcohol consumption, among other things. Overfeeding with milk can cause it in babies.
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The bad news is that, because the liver has already been damaged, removing the cause will not always stop jaundice.
The good news is that there is a simple and natural way to correct this. What exactly is it? In adults, jaundice can be treated simply by providing the body with the necessary tools to heal the disease and normalize bilirubin levels.
The procedure is slightly more complicated in babies because the same nutrients must be made into a shake that the baby can drink. Aside from that, the treatment is equally effective in babies and adults.
By providing the body with the necessary nutrients and tools, it is possible to quickly eliminate jaundice in the baby!
A Word From GetMe Treated
The above treatments are the best breastfeeding jaundice treatment you can try at home. If you have any questions, use the comment section below or you contact us via our Contact Us page.
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