“A yellow baby at birth is normal. However, parents should be aware of some danger signs in yellow babies that should not be ignored."
Waiting for the birth of a baby is a long-awaited moment. All parents want their baby to be born healthy and safe. However, parents must prepare for all the possibilities that can happen to the newborn. One of them is the symptoms of jaundice in infants.
In most cases, a newborn's skin will turn red or bluish soon after birth. When the baby begins to breathe, his skin color will gradually lighten. Newborns have skin that makes the blood vessels under the skin visible, and still contains little pigment. Baby's skin will thicken and change color with age.
Symptoms of jaundice in infants, also known as jaundice, are common in infants. This yellow shadow will be clearly visible on the child's skin and eyes. In general conditions, jaundice in infants can be prevented in about fourteen days by drying in the morning sun and giving more milk to the baby. Is it possible that this yellow baby condition can occur until the baby's age reaches up to 1 month?
Is jaundice dangerous in newborns?
Jaundice is yellowing of the skin and eyes in infants and is normal in newborns. Dr, Martina Siboe says that 60% of babies will experience jaundice at birth, but only 10% of them will need light therapy. In general, normal jaundice occurs because the age of a newborn's red blood cells is short, which is around 70-90 days.
“So normally there is a breakdown of blood cells, the last product of this breakdown of blood cells is bilirubin. There are soluble and insoluble bilirubin, water. Bilirubin will be processed so that it will eventually be excreted through feces and urine, “explained Dr. Martina.
To find out whether the jaundice experienced by your child is dangerous or not, parents can monitor the baby's weight at birth compared to when the baby looks yellow. The reason, decreased baby weight can be one of the causes of jaundice in babies early in life.
"Indeed, baby food reserves can last 1-2 days, but if you lose a lot of weight, for example more than 10%, it can also trigger jaundice," he added.
In addition, you can check it with the Kramer score, which is a method for determining levels of bilirubin (yellow substance) which is divided into 5 degrees scores. Score 1 if yellow on the face and neck. Score 2, yellow extends to the chest and abdomen. Score 3, the yellow extends to the thigh. Score 4 until it reaches the ankle. And a score of 5, when the yellow extends to the soles of the feet and hands. This can be done for parents to check for jaundice by stretching the baby's skin during a pandemic when conditions do not allow going to the doctor.
Dr. Martina also advised, to check the condition of the little one if it looks yellower.. The baby is suddenly yellow, weak, there is weight loss, frequent urination or infrequent bowel movements and lazy to breastfeed. It is feared that the little one is dehydrated, and needs to be evaluated whether there is an infection in the baby. These conditions include danger signs that occur in yellow babies.
Causes of Yellow Babies
Many factors cause babies to be born with jaundice. Here are the causes of jaundice that you should know:
High Bilirubin
Newborns can experience hyperbilirubinemia or an increase in bilirubin above the limit from the first week. This can be related to the production of very high bilirubin due to its breakdown which causes the baby to be jaundiced. High bilirubin can also be caused by a lack of transport substances such as protein, babies don't drink enough and protein is not enough so they don't have enough fluids.
"Because bilirubin is excreted through urine, if the baby lacks fluids, the bilirubin will not be wasted optimally," said Dr. Martina.
Breastfeeding Jaundice
Breastfeeding jaundice is jaundice in babies caused by a lack of fluids the baby is drinking. Breastfeeding jaundice can appear early in the baby's life, but can also appear after 1-2 weeks. The more frequent the baby's bowel movements that secrete bilirubin, the less will be absorbed by the baby's body. This is why, newborns drink breast milk so that the bilirubin is excreted optimally.
Differences in blood type between mothers
Differences in blood type can be one of the causes of jaundice in babies. Dr. Martina explained that the baby is yellow because the difference in blood type is only for certain blood types and rhesus. If the baby's blood type is different from the mother's, then the mother's body will produce antibodies that can break down many of the baby's red blood cells. So that the bilirubin that comes out is more and more and increases.
"This happens if, for example, the mother's blood type is O+, the baby's blood type is A/B, so that the mother will release antibodies that will penetrate the red blood cells of the placenta. Therefore, when the baby is born, in the presence of antibodies from the mother, it will cause the breakdown of red blood cells, “explained Dr. Martina.
Actually the formation of these antibodies is harmless and will disappear by itself within 1-2 weeks. Dr. Martina recommends that mothers who know that their babies have the potential to be affected by jaundice should anticipate from the start. For example, by providing sufficient breast milk and paying more attention to the adequacy of the baby's nutrition and fluids. Because, although the breakdown of red blood cells a lot, but if the fluid and protein carrier a lot, it will be wasted. (Aq/MKK)
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