Patient's question:
A newborn baby is only 4 days old. It has been diagnosed with jaundice at 13—is that high? What are the effects? Should I go to the hospital? What should I do? I'm waiting for an answer online.Doctor's answer:
Hello, this parent. I'm very happy to answer for you. About 2-3 days after the baby is born, jaundice may appear. You don't need to worry too much, it's physiological jaundice. This is because within the first 7 days of birth, the baby's red blood cells are destroyed more, leading to the release of a large amount of bilirubin. Bilirubin is mainly metabolized in the liver, but the baby's liver is not fully developed at birth, so it cannot metabolize so much bilirubin at once, which results in jaundice.Advice: This is physiological jaundice. The peak period is usually 4-5 days, when it is the most yellow, but it will subside within 7-10 days. You don't need to worry too much. In your daily routine, expose the baby to sunlight more often and feed them breast milk, which is beneficial for jaundice to subside. When exposing the baby to sunlight, cover their eyes and private parts, and expose the rest of their body to sunlight. The best time is around 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day. However, if the baby does not feed well and the jaundice on their body shows a grayish trend, you should take the baby to the hospital.