Patient's question:
After three days of birth, jaundice was checked and the doctor said it was high. Eleven days later, the jaundice level became 18, so blue light treatment was administered, and the baby was also given medicine for three days. The baby kept crying and couldn't eat anything. Does newborn jaundice affect weight gain?Doctor's answer:
Physically, it cannot, but pathologically, it can. 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 normal. Children with physiological jaundice, in addition to yellow skin, have little impact on appetite and mental state, and 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.