Patient's question:
An 8-day-old baby is not drinking breast milk well. After birth, on the 4-5th day, due to slightly elevated jaundice exceeding 12.8, a few sessions of blue light treatment were administered. However, it's hard to say about the previous treatment and its effectiveness: there wasn't much of a good solution, as it was followed by blue light exposure, which then led to... Caring...Doctor's answer:
Concerned about insufficient milk supply, mothers may supplement with digestible milk or glucose water, leading to "nipple confusion." Breastfeeding requires more effort, whereas bottle-feeding, due to gravity, only needs a gentle suck to provide milk (sugar) water. Smart babies naturally choose the easier option.Recommendation: Babies who are breastfed are more prone to jaundice. If you switch to infant formula, this can help. This is because enzymes in breast milk can raise blood bilirubin levels. If you suspect that your baby's jaundice is caused by breastfeeding, you can try stopping for one or two days. Once the jaundice improves, focus on feeding again, and the baby's jaundice should stabilize and stop worsening.
Another reason for jaundice that doesn't fade may be insufficient breast milk intake, leading to too few bowel movements. This allows bilirubin to remain in the intestines and not be excreted through urine or stool. As a result, the jaundice level remains high. Usually, if you feed the baby more frequently to ensure they get enough milk and increase bowel movements, the jaundice will stabilize.