Patient's question:
After three days, the jaundice was checked. The doctor said it was high. Eleven days later, the jaundice level became 18. Then, blue light treatment was administered. The baby also took medicine for three days. The baby kept crying and couldn't eat. Does newborn jaundice affect weight gain?Doctor's answer:
Physically, it won't. Pathologically, it will. The normal value of neonatal jaundice is referenced by serum bilirubin. As long as full-term infants do not exceed 204 micromoles per liter (12 milligrams per liter) and preterm infants do not exceed 255 micromoles per liter (15 milligrams per liter), it is considered normal. Children with physiological jaundice, in addition to yellow skin, have little impact on appetite and mental state. The symptoms generally disappear automatically within one month. Children with pathological jaundice not only have skin changes but also usually cry, fuss, and refuse breast milk. In this case, parents must take the child to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible. Otherwise, it may lead to kernicterus.