What should I do if a child has high jaundice?

Patient's question:

No

Doctor's answer:

Physiological jaundice in infants: The baby is perfectly normal after birth. However, 3-5 days later, the baby's face begins to turn yellow and continues to get more yellow, which is known as physiological jaundice in newborns.
Causes: In the womb, the fetus relies on the mother for nutrition and growth. The waste products generated during metabolism are also excreted with the help of the mother's organs. When the old red blood cells in the fetus "die," the bilirubin produced is converted and excreted by the mother's liver. Therefore, the baby does not have jaundice at birth.
After birth, the infant is separated from the mother, and all of its metabolic waste products must be processed independently. Bilirubin produced from the breakdown of red blood cells needs to be processed by the liver before it can be excreted from the body. At this stage, the newborn's liver is not yet strong enough to handle bilirubin effectively. As a result, bilirubin cannot be excreted through normal channels and accumulates in the body. When the accumulation reaches a certain level, the child will show signs of jaundice.
Management: As the baby's liver function gradually matures, neonatal jaundice will gradually subside. Generally, within one to two weeks, the jaundice will completely disappear. Therefore, parents do not need to panic and can leave it untreated.