prolonged jaundice in newborn

[rydercup]

hi. my DS2 is 3 weeks and still jaundiced. midwife has taken blood and bilirubin levels are high - have been to hospital and had lots of blood tests done but have been reassured that is just newborn baby jaundice that is taking longer to clear due to breastfeeding. Anybody got any experience of this and any ideas on how long it can last and is there anything else I can do to help clear it. More frequent feeding was suggested but is not an option as seems like he is feeding 24:7 as it is!!!

[Heathcliffscathy]

get him outside as much as poss. sunlight clears it. i used to put ds naked on duvet in front of windows (closed)...took him ages to clear it....keep going...i thought breastfeeding helped!!! shows how little i know....

[rydercup]

Thanks for advice - had heard about that -mind you - where is the damn sun these days!!!

[suzywong]

longer to clear due to breastfeeding..... never heard of that before, don't stop bf though

sympathies to you, it is a bore isn't it, I had my bags packed about to escape from the maternity ward after 3 days when they said we had to stay and do phototherapy for ds2's jaundice so well done for getting home

[popsycal]

ds1 had this...in special care for 2 weeks having triple phototherapy...still jaundiced at 6 weeks. Blirubin levels started going down just asthey wee going to get a liver specialist to look at him.

Did every blood tests uder the sun on bth of us and it was just a severe and prolonged version of regular jaundice.
He will be 3 in august - he's a tall, intelligent gorgeous boy.

it was a horrible time though and you have my sympathies....please shout if i can be of further help

[popsycal]

think the breast feedingnthing is that dehydration prolngs it and when you are establishing breast feeding it is easier to get dehydrated than bottle...particularly in the early days....dont give up though...that is the reason i strted mixed feeding and bottle fed earlier than i wanted to - and regret it
good luck

[mears]

Breastmilk jaundice occurs in about 1 in 200 babies. I remember we used to interrupt breastfeeding with formula to see if the levels went down but that is no longer done. A true B/F jaundice can take 2-3 months to resolve with no ill effects.

Here is a link

[babypowder]

My 14 day old has now been referred for prolonged jaundice screening. She is maintaining weight (lost 8lbs after birth, regained 5, lost 20g, gained it back again in 2 days) and is exclusively BF. She seems to me to be perfectly healthy with bright eyes, she is alert, her urine is clear and her stools are a screaming yellow. I'm not hugely worried about the screening.
My question is ... can the occasional glass of wine contribute to jaundice? I have had a few single glasses of wine over the holidays, drunk very slowly so that I could savour each sip! A glass lasts me about 2 hours. I understood that very little alcohol came through into breastmilk, but could even the most miniscule amount stress her liver further? Or am I just being a worrywart?

[LIZS]

Not aware it could be alchohol related. 14 days isn't necessarily a long time ime - ds ' took about 3 weeks to go completely and he didn;t even fall into the category needing light therapy. Lots of regualr feeding and exposure to natural sunlight if possible should help.

btw you may get more response by starting a new thread rather than reviving an older one which may or may not prove relevant.

[bewilderbeast]

ds was still jaundiced at his 8 week check. he had a prolongued jaundice test but it as just breast feeding jaundice so nothing to worry about.

[babypowder]

Thanks for the tip Liz (and for the advice!) I've posted in the breatfeeding section,as well now. (Though my posting won't be as interesting as the Tiktok thread )

[madmarchhare]

Yep, stick him on the windowsill .

[popsycal]

ds1 had jaundice up to about 7 weeks - but he spent time in special care from 2 days old and had allsorts of tests and triple phototherapy for 10 days
His bibirubin levels were very close to the level where a transfusion was needed and they were only giving him 12 more hours at one point before they got a special liver consultant in

he is no a loud, exuberant 4 year old with no problems (apart from he is never still or silent )

Do ask your midwide/HV if you are unsure though. the bilirubin test results would have been acted on if they were dangerously high though i amm sure

[justaphase]

ds had breastfeeding jaundice - lasted until he was 7 weeks old and then cleared on its own. From what I gather there is something in the breastmilk that stops it from clearing.

As long as he has been tested and there is nothing wrong then you have nothing to worry about. It will clear eventually.

Sunshine is what I was advised too, if you can find any.

i was also told by hv to give plenty of liquids including water but not sure if this is a good idea - I personally did not follow this advice.