Yellow whites of the eyes in a newborn: causes, description with a photo, possible problems and recommendations from pediatricians. Yellow newborn - is it normal or not Whites of the eyes with jaundice in newborns

Don't be scared! With all the severity of the name "jaundice in newborns" - this is by no means a disease, but just a physiological symptom of certain processes that occur in the baby's body while it adapts to new living conditions. What to do with the "golden" child, how exactly physiological jaundice occurs in infants, whether the negative consequences of this phenomenon are possible and whether jaundice in newborns requires any treatment - we will understand.

Jaundice in newborns: why did my baby turn yellow?

For the sake of your maternal peace of mind, let us repeat: the fact that your newborn baby suddenly turned orange on the second or third day of life should in no way make you nervous or frightened. Jaundice in newborns is not a disease! This is just an indicator (a kind of marker) of certain physiological processes that occur in the child's body due to his "moving" from the mother's womb to the light of day.

In order to understand exactly how the skin of a newborn changes color from romantic pink to hysterically yellow, it makes sense to recall some paragraphs of the school anatomy course:

Mechanism of jaundice. In the blood of a person there are special red blood cells - erythrocytes, the task of which is to carry oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body. Every day, approximately 1% of all red blood cells that rush through our body die (the lifespan of each red blood cell is no more than 120 days). Destroying, these cells release a substance contained inside red blood cells - bilirubin - a special yellow pigment that is actively involved in hemoglobin metabolism. By itself, bilirubin is a rather dangerous and toxic substance for internal organs, therefore, normally, as soon as the blood brings it to the liver, special liver enzymes immediately neutralize it there. In medical language, the process of neutralizing the harmful yellow pigment in the liver is called "bilirubin conjugation." The detoxified bilirubin then passes through the bile ducts and is excreted from the body by the excretory system.

If any link in this chain of formation and excretion of bilirubin is broken, the level of this substance rises, the yellow pigment penetrates the skin, coloring the face and body in “autumn tones”. And if we weren’t talking about newborns, but about older people, then we should consider jaundice precisely as a clear symptom of a serious illness (for example, liver diseases like hepatitis, acute poisoning, intoxication, inflammation of the gallbladder, stagnation of the bile ducts, etc.).

Physiological jaundice in newborns - within the normal range

But jaundice in newborns is most often a physiological norm. The bottom line is that a child, barely born, has a very high level of hemoglobin, which begins to decline sharply in the new conditions of the baby's life. In addition, a newborn baby has not yet fully formed "army" of liver enzymes. In other words, the newborn baby in the first days of life is simply physically unable to cope with the high level of bilirubin in its blood. That is why the baby is rapidly turning yellow.

At least 60% of absolutely healthy full-term newborn babies on the second or third day of life are “stained” in yellow. This is normal and does not threaten the child with any troubles. In medicine, there is even a term - physiological jaundice of newborns. Physiological means natural, normal, without pathology.

So, even if you are in these 60%, there is no reason to be afraid. And if it so happened that the child was born prematurely (which means that he has even less capable liver enzymes than a healthy toddler), then you have even more chances to admire him yellow - 80-90% of all babies born prematurely survive physiological neonatal jaundice.

The company at risk for jaundice in newborns are babies whose mothers are sick diabetes, as well as twins (twins, triplets, etc.)

Normally, in a newborn baby, jaundice should pass in two to three weeks. And what to do in cases where the child turned yellow naturally, but to turn pink again, even after three weeks, as if he is not going to?

Why does jaundice in a baby not go away after 21 days?

If the “golden” color of the baby’s skin has not disappeared in three weeks (which means that the process of neutralizing toxic bilirubin by liver enzymes has not improved), it is imperative to consult a doctor who, using tests and tests, will determine at what stage of the cycle " existence "of bilirubin in the baby's body malfunctions and why. The reasons can be, relatively speaking, dangerous. For example:

  • 1 As a result of any disease of the child, the destruction of the erythrocytes of his blood occurs intensively and constantly (for example, with hemolytic disease, which often develops in children whose Rh factor differs from that of the mother). Accordingly, the level of bilirubin in the blood is constantly elevated.
  • 2 Liver function never developed properly (for example, due to hereditary hepatitis). In this case, jaundice is rightly called hepatic.
  • 3 Normally, after bilirubin is neutralized in the liver, it enters gallbladder and excreted from the body through the bile ducts. Often, jaundice in a newborn does not go away due to a malfunction of this particular organ. For example, a baby may have an obstruction biliary tract- in this case, jaundice is called mechanical.

If the cause of jaundice in a newborn lies in one of these serious diseases, then with the help of special tests and tests, doctors will determine this and prescribe an adequate treatment, in which not the symptom itself, but the disease itself, will be treated.

Physiological (that is, absolutely normal, non-dangerous) jaundice in newborns can also last more than three weeks - in some babies, liver enzymes quickly "master their purpose", in others - more slowly.

Jaundice in newborns can last more than 21 days and for no reason at all. After all, each baby is individual and to predict the exact dates when he learns to walk, when - to speak, and when - his liver will learn to process bilirubin, not a single children's "esculapius" is able to predict, even if he is the most outstanding genius from medicine.

As a caring and sensible parent, you must understand that a newborn child (like an older child) is in itself an excellent indicator of its physical condition. Simply put, if your baby has turned yellow and continues to stick to this sunny tone for more than three weeks, but at the same time he does not show any signs of anxiety - does not cry, eats with appetite, gains weight, fills his diapers regularly and sleeps soundly, then there is no reason to worry about prolonged jaundice, you should not have.

The only thing that needs to be done is with the help of an experienced and observant pediatrician, start regularly monitoring the level of bilirubin in your baby's blood.

Jaundice in newborns - consequences for everyone

During those couple of weeks, while the level of toxic bilirubin in the blood of the newborn was elevated and his skin shone with “golden” hues, nothing bad could happen to the child. Although bilirubin is toxic, its quantity (even though it is elevated in the baby during this period) is still not enough to cause significant harm to the baby.

But if the jaundice has dragged on and gone beyond 21 days (which means that the level of bilirubin in the body continues to remain high), it is imperative to contact the pediatrician and put the baby's bilirubin "on the counter" - that is, it must be constantly measured and monitored. If the level of bilirubin is kept above the norm, but does not tend to increase, you should not be afraid, under the systematic supervision of a reasonable doctor, such jaundice does not threaten the child with any serious consequences.

Jaundice in newborns can threaten with real problems only in those situations in which the level of bilirubin in the blood rises 10 times higher than normal and has a progressive upward trend. In such cases, damage may be done to the baby's central nervous system, his liver, etc. But if you turned to the pediatrician in time, no responsible doctor will simply allow such a development of the event.

Critical indicators of bilirubin in the blood are for full-term and premature babies, respectively: 324 µmol/l and 250 µmol/l. You, the parents, do not need to know these numbers, the main thing is that the doctor who monitors the condition of the newborn remembers them.

Treatment methods for jaundice in newborns

It is not entirely correct to talk about the treatment of jaundice itself in the context of newborns - since, as has already been said fifty times, this is not a disease, but only a symptom.

If jaundice is a symptom (indicator or consequence) of some serious disease, then, of course, it is not jaundice that is being treated, but this disease itself. But not a single disease is treated overnight and there are situations when, simultaneously with therapy, it is necessary to reduce the level of bilirubin in the blood, which dangerously “creeps” to a critical level.

Even 15-20 years ago, in a situation where the level of bilirubin became threateningly dangerous and could cause irreparable damage to the baby's central nervous system, the child underwent an exchange blood transfusion.

Today, this method of treating jaundice in newborns is also used, but only in extreme cases. And in less severe situations, the last decades have been practicing a different effective method fight against elevated bilirubin - a bright lamp!

Phototherapy for jaundice: let there be light!

Scientists made this discovery by accident - in the course of medical research, it was found that toxic bilirubin in human skin begins to actively break down under the influence of bright light rays, turning into a non-toxic isomer. Thus, the most common method of treating jaundice in newborns today was “born” - phototherapy.

The bottom line is simple: if the baby's bilirubin level is elevated and there is no positive dynamics, he - naked, but with protection in front of his eyes - is laid out under a bright lamp: sometimes for several hours a day, sometimes for several days (around the clock with interrupted only for feeding, hygiene and massage).

The method of phototherapy is good, safe and very common. He returned to many kids their usual skin color, and their parents - peace of mind.

Breastfeeding jaundice: mom gilded

There is another kind of, fortunately, completely harmless jaundice, which can be observed in newborns and which can last more than three weeks. This is the so-called breastfeeding jaundice. As the name suggests, it only happens to babies who are breastfed.

The gist is this: breast milk the mother has a substance that blocks the action of liver enzymes in the child.

Not a single “health specialist” has yet been able to find out why nature came up with this mechanism. Nevertheless, it works and is very active - many infants turn noticeably yellow in the first days of life precisely because the milk of their mothers "slows down" the activity of enzymes in the child's liver.

Moreover, this type of jaundice, as a rule, smoothly “takes a change” from physiological jaundice and can last much longer than 21 days completely safely for the baby.

If you are scared and you want to make sure that your "orange" baby has safe jaundice by all means breastfeeding, and not a symptom of some dangerous disease - stop breastfeeding for 1-2 days (give a mixture). If the yellow color of the skin noticeably brightens - this is it, you can calm down and return your baby to his natural nutrition.

Jaundice in newborns: Epilogue

Despite the fact that the child is entirely yours, it is not you who should decide what to do with him if he turns yellow. And the health workers. And deal with it.

Find out if your baby's jaundice is dangerous (that is, is it a symptom of a serious illness?) Or completely harmless, treat it or be patient and just wait, and if treated, then in what way - all these questions can only be solved by a pediatrician. Your task is to present your newborn to him for examination and analysis.

Because in the case of jaundice in newborns, the probability of making a mistake is very high: you can mistake a completely normal physiological state for a symptom of a serious illness, and vice versa. Are you really ready to guess if the health of your beloved, “golden” in every sense of the word, baby is at stake?

Jaundice in newborns is not just often - but it happens almost always. Any mother will easily notice the first symptoms. The baby becomes unusually swarthy or as if filled with yellowness, the whites of the eyes turn yellow. What is it - a disease or a feature of a small child? This will become clear later, after a few days of observation. Most often, there is no reason for concern, this condition is due to some physiological characteristics of the body of a newborn child.

Why does jaundice appear?

Bilirubin is primarily to blame here.. What is it and where does it come from? Everything is pretty simple. A child who has not yet been born has special blood with special (fetal) hemoglobin. It carries oxygen through the baby's blood vessels. When a baby is born, it begins to breathe with lungs. And then the composition of the blood changes: “live” hemoglobin appears in it, and fetal hemoglobin is destroyed. This is where bilirubin is formed. The child does not need it, and the small organism begins to get rid of it.

For a child, this is a very difficult task. Just like that, bilirubin cannot be removed. First, it enters the liver and mixes with special enzymes there, then it dissolves in the urine and even then it is easily excreted. If the liver fails and there is a lot of bilirubin in the blood, jaundice will begin.

Causes of pathogenic jaundice are completely different. They are most often caused by a violation of the outflow of bile from the body due to the following conditions:

  • blood type incompatibility;
  • Rhesus conflict;
  • viral damage to the liver;
  • genetic metabolic disorders;
  • hereditary diseases;
  • hormonal disorders;
  • mechanical damage to the biliary tract or liver.

VIDEO:

Norm of bilirubin

In the blood of a newborn baby, bilirubin should be from 8.5 to 20.5 µmol / l (micromoles per liter). The unit of measurement is quite complicated, but you can not delve into it. If it’s really interesting, the blood test takes place at the molecular level. If the results of the analysis show that the content of bilirubin is slightly higher than normal, the doctor understands that the baby's body does not have time to cope with the load. True jaundice occurs when the bilirubin level exceeds 35 µmol/L.

And yet it is different...

Why jaundice appears is already clear. And why in general there are difficulties with a conclusion of a bilirubin? Could this be a sign of pathology? Unfortunately yes. Doctors distinguish between two groups of jaundice - physiological and pathological. Consider all types of jaundice from the rarest to the most common.

Pathological types of jaundice

They are rare, but require mandatory medical supervision and treatment. With pathological jaundice, there are always additional symptoms. Some may be noticed by the mother or one of the relatives, others are recognized only by the doctor.

Hemolytic disease

Among all babies who develop neonatal jaundice, less than 1% are those suffering from hemolytic disease. Her reasons:

  • Rhesus conflict between mother and baby (most often);
  • blood type mismatch (very rare);
  • antigen incompatibility (almost never occurs).

However, such jaundice is quickly recognized. The skin and sclera of the baby do not turn yellow in a few days, but almost immediately after birth. The child looks lethargic and sleepy. The doctor, examining the baby, will feel an increase in the spleen and liver. All these signs show that the newborn urgently needs help, and then the doctors begin immediate treatment. The most severe case is kernicterus., in which bilirubin poisons the baby's brain.

Mechanical jaundice

Rare, but still pathological. There are several reasons for obstructive jaundice:

  • gallbladder problems;
  • violation of the patency of the bile ducts;
  • liver problems.

Most often, obstructive jaundice is caused by genetic disorders or birth injuries of the baby. The manifestations of this disease become noticeable when the baby is two to three weeks old. The skin at the same time looks not just yellow, but with a greenish tint. The baby's stool becomes abnormally light, almost colorless. The doctor will feel that the liver is thickened, and the spleen is enlarged. If obstructive jaundice is suspected, various additional examinations are prescribed - for example, ultrasound. Treatment will depend on the type of pathology..

There are also borderline conditions when prolonged postpartum jaundice turns into pathology:

  1. Conjugative jaundice associated with poor liver function. Liver enzymes do not bind bilirubin well and cannot cope with its removal from the blood.
  2. Nuclear jaundice occurs with a sharp increase in the level of bilirubin during postpartum jaundice. In this case, bilirubin penetrates the nervous system and exerts its toxic effect on it.
  3. Hepatic jaundice appears when liver cells are damaged by viruses or bacteria.

Physiological jaundice

Now all doctors have recognized that this is not a disease, but one of the options for the normal state of a newborn child. However, even in this situation, the baby must be carefully monitored so as not to miss possible pathologies.

Breast milk jaundice

Another rare case. It occurs when a mother has a lot of estrogen in her milk (this is a female sex hormone). Then the baby's liver first of all begins to remove estrogen, and only then - bilirubin. In this case, the baby remains icteric for up to three months.. At the same time, the baby is developing well - he has a good appetite, sleep and an increase in weight and height. This condition is not dangerous and goes away on its own.

If a baby develops jaundice of breast milk, mothers often ask: isn't it better to wean the baby from the breast? There can be only one answer: no better! Yes, without breast milk, the baby will stop “turning yellow”. But how many useful and important things will he miss out on? So breastfeeding must continue..

neonatal jaundice

And finally, the most common type. This is jaundice, which appears in most children.. It is not a disease and does not require treatment. Such jaundice of newborns passes by itself and does not lead to complications. True, there is another view: if jaundice has appeared, then the baby’s liver is still overloaded. But the baby can be helped.

Symptoms

The main and indicative symptom of any type of jaundice is a change in the color of the skin and mucous membranes, the whites of the eyes. They become bright yellow, almost lemon in color.

When more than two weeks pass, and the baby's skin has not acquired a normal color, you should consult a doctor. Before treating jaundice, an analysis will be prescribed for the level of bilirubin in the blood. The level of bilirubin depends on many factors and it is impossible to unambiguously interpret the results of the tests. The doctor will draw conclusions about the state of health of the child according to the general picture of the state of health.

Symptoms of pathological types of jaundice are manifested in a change in the color of the skin. The differences are in the time of their appearance and some features of the manifestation:

  • change in skin color appears immediately after birth;
  • after three or four days the yellow becomes brighter, all symptoms increase;
  • yellowness of the integument persists for more than one month;
  • the onset of symptoms of jaundice is undulating: it will appear, then it will disappear;
  • in addition to yellow, skin color can also acquire a green tint.

In addition to the change in the color of the skin, other symptoms are added:

  • feces are discolored;
  • urine is dark in color
  • spontaneous bruising;
  • there is an increase in the liver and spleen;
  • the general well-being of the child is deteriorating.

With nuclear jaundice, the sucking reflex fades, severe drowsiness and convulsions occur.

If we are talking about pathology, then any therapy is prescribed by a doctor. Most often, the baby and mother go to the hospital, where they carry out all the necessary procedures.. For example, if the mother and child have a different Rh factor or other signs of blood incompatibility, then transfusions are most often prescribed. In one procedure, the baby can replace up to 70% of the total amount of blood. In difficult cases, transfusions are repeated several times.

These measures help to get rid of pathological bilirubin, but can weaken the baby. Therefore, additional therapy is often prescribed: antibiotics, physiotherapy, and so on.

Obstructive jaundice often requires surgical intervention. A well-founded decision is usually made by a whole commission of doctors who carefully examine the child and determine all necessary measures. Such treatment and rehabilitation are also carried out in a hospital setting.

If the jaundice is physiological, then it is more likely not about treatment, but about helping the baby. The child will cope with his condition faster if:

  • attach the newborn to the breast as early as possible (this stimulates metabolic processes);
  • full breastfeeding;
  • diet of a nursing mother so that the baby does not have digestive problems;
  • sunbathing;
  • walks in the open air.

The last point, unfortunately, cannot be fulfilled if it is cold outside. But in spring, summer or in warm autumn, it is necessary to take the baby out into the fresh air. In summer, in calm sunny weather, you can open children's arms and legs for a few minutes. This is especially useful in a light shade - for example, under a tree, so that diffused light hits the child. The main thing is that the baby does not freeze.

Such care for the newborn will perfectly help to remove bilirubin from the child's body. As a result, the baby will not only have jaundice. The child will also become healthier and feel better.

The main way to treat and prevent neonatal jaundice is breast milk. That is why the newborn is applied to the breast from the first minutes. Colostrum (the first portions of breast milk) has a pronounced laxative effect. It promotes the excretion of a coloring matter (bilirubin) along with feces. Breastfeeding here the best medicine from jaundice.

Sometimes, in addition to breast milk, irradiation with a special lamp for the treatment of jaundice is prescribed - phototherapy. During the procedure, the child's eyes are covered with a bandage or goggles and placed under a lamp. The course is 96 hours.


 jaundice treatment lamp

During phototherapy, you may experience side effects. The child may develop drowsiness, the skin begins to peel off and there is a disorder of the stool.

Sunbathing has the same effect. The baby's body in the light begins to actively produce vitamin D. It speeds up the process of removing bilirubin from the blood.

With severe jaundice, glucose and activated charcoal tablets may be prescribed by the doctor. Glucose helps to improve the active functioning of the liver. Activated charcoal absorbs harmful substances like a sponge, including bilirubin. Further, coal, together with bilirubin, is excreted naturally with feces.

The doctor develops a method for treating pathological types of jaundice depending on the diagnosis. All factors and circumstances of the birth of a child are taken into account. The course of childbirth and pregnancy, maternal illness, test results and ultrasound. Sometimes consultation of narrow specialists is required; surgeon or endocrinologist.

Used in the treatment of jaundice different types therapy:

  • Antiviral.
  • Antibacterial.
  • Choleretic.
  • Detoxification.
  • Immune.

They are used both individually and in combination under close medical supervision. It depends on the causes of jaundice.

Consequences and problems

At pathological conditions It is impossible to predict how quickly the baby will recover. First of all, it all depends on the causes of the disease and its severity.. That is why it is especially important to observe the baby in the first days of life. What to pay attention to?

  1. Jaundice arose a few hours after the birth of the baby (blood conflicts are possible).
  2. The child develops poorly, he is sleepy and lethargic (a significant excess of bilirubin in the blood, including with hemolytic disease).
  3. Jaundice is accompanied by convulsions, constant crying (this may be kernicterus). With such a diagnosis, the child may develop hearing impairment, motor pathologies, in the most severe case, the baby may die.
  4. The newborn has birth trauma.

As soon as the newborn has jaundice, careful observation is necessary to prevent the development of pathologies. If the treatment is carried out on time, the baby will recover very soon and will grow up healthy..

Physiological jaundice does not cause any complications. It can last two to three weeks. Most babies get rid of jaundice when they are one month old. If the cause is in the mother's milk, then the condition may drag on for another one or two months. After that, the skin and eyes of the baby are completely freed from the yellow tint. All this time the child is fully developed. The main thing for him is the care of his mother, relatives and doctors. And then the baby will grow up healthy and happy.

Physiological jaundice in healthy children does not harm the body, does not affect further development child. Pathological jaundice increases the risk of occurrence and development of cirrhosis or liver cancer with age. In 90% of children who have had hepatitis in infancy, the consequences of jaundice remain for life. This is expressed in a weakened immune system and poor liver function.

Transferred nuclear jaundice in the future can lead to deafness, complete or partial paralysis, mental retardation. The toxic effect of high levels of bilirubin on the nervous system has the most severe consequences.

The baby was born. And three days later, a happy mother, who has just recovered from "euphoria", suddenly notices that something is wrong with her child. He is somehow different from everyone else: his skin and eye whites have acquired a yellowish tint. What to do? Doctors say that this is not dangerous, because jaundice in newborns is a very common occurrence. And then, without explaining anything, they prescribe some medicines for the “minipusik”, carry out procedures, and answer all your questions so indistinctly that anxiety increases more and more. Familiar situation?

Moms, don't panic! If your child turned yellow - it's okay!

And it happens that the newborn turns yellow already at home. At the same time, the mother's condition is even worse: there is no one to ask for advice, and she does not know what to do. A bunch of assumptions (by no means optimistic) climb into my head before the arrival of the pediatrician. A mother's awareness is the first step to her peace of mind, and hence to the calmness of the child. After all, he reads all the information from you and behaves restlessly if something disturbs you.

Why does the baby turn yellow and why is it dangerous

Staining of the skin after birth (on the 2-3rd day) is the norm. That is why baby jaundice is called physiological. It's just that for some this process goes almost unnoticed, and for some it is a whole problem. It all depends on the rate of formation of bilirubin and the ability of the body to neutralize it and remove it.

Premature babies are most prone to the appearance of yellowness on the skin.

Bilirubin is a breakdown product of blood cells. It has a yellow color and is present in every person, participating in metabolic processes. If at the same time some kind of failure occurs, then the level of pigment rises, and the skin and sclera are stained. And since bilirubin is a toxic substance, exceeding its critical levels in the blood can lead to serious consequences: intoxication of the body, defeat nervous system and brain, disability (retardation in mental development deafness) and even death. That is why prolonged jaundice is dangerous and must be treated as soon as possible.

but elevated bilirubin in the body of newborns is a natural phenomenon. It is due to the change of fetal hemoglobin obtained through the placenta to hemoglobin obtained through the inhalation of oxygen with air. As a result of this process, many "obsolete" blood cells that have lost their function are destroyed, releasing bilirubin, which the children's liver does not have time to cope with due to its immaturity. These are the mechanisms of physiological jaundice that occurs 2-3 days after the birth of the baby and passes on its own, as soon as all the human blood is renewed and its filtering organ is rebuilt (ripens).

After a few weeks, the baby's skin acquires a healthy pinkish tint.

The line between normal and pathological

What is dangerous jaundice we examined. Surely you are wondering how to distinguish its pathological form from the natural one. For this, the following criteria exist:

  • objective: a blood test for bilirubin and a comparison of indicators with the norm, as well as a comparison of indicators in dynamics;
  • subjective: the time of appearance of jaundice, the behavior of the child.

Norm of bilirubin is a relative concept. It differs in adults and newborns, as well as in children born at term and premature babies. Fluctuations in the level of toxin is also a phenomenon associated with the rate of decay of red blood cells and the subsequent excretion of the products of this process. As you can imagine, it can't happen the same way all the time.

The Kramer scale is used to visually assess the level of bilirubin in the blood. According to her, the skin of the child is not painted evenly, but in areas, depending on changes in the biochemical parameters of the blood. First, the face and neck turn yellow, then the body, upper limbs, then hands, lower limbs and feet. If you take an analysis from a child with icterus of the hands and feet, with a high probability the level of bilirubin in him will exceed the permissible values. According to Kramer, when the yellowness of the skin passes, the blood counts return to normal.

As soon as the yellowness of the child's legs passes, you can be sure that the crisis is over!

In a laboratory assessment of the level of toxin, measurements of the amount of direct, indirect and total bilirubin are made. Doctors agree that direct bilirubin should not exceed 1/4 of the total. After all, it is he who is most dangerous for the body, since he has not yet been neutralized by internal chemical reactions and is not ready for excretion.

The yellowness of the skin is not yet a reason for panic. It is much more important to pay attention to when it appeared (for example, if the skin is stained a few hours after birth, then this is an incentive to examine the child for serious diseases) and the behavior and well-being of the crumbs.

Even Dr. Komarovsky pointed out the need to consider the "disease" in its dynamics. If the baby's jaundice persists, but he is cheerful during the wakefulness period, sleeps well, actively sucks, then you should not worry.

If you observe the following symptoms (in addition to yellowness), you should seek medical help immediately:

  • piercing cry, the child is difficult to calm down;
  • limbs contracted, trembling (convulsions);
  • eyes are wide open, pupils are enlarged;
  • hypertonicity of the cervical muscles (inability to tilt the baby's head).

All these signs indicate a serious intoxication of the baby's body, the consequences of which we have already considered.

Why does bilirubin rise?

Why does the skin of a newborn turn yellow, we found out. Now let's highlight the reasons why the level of bilirubin rises.

  1. Blood conflicts between mother and child (different Rh, different group). Rh-positive children born to Rh-negative mothers are especially affected.
  2. Immaturity of the children's liver, imperfection of the bile ducts.
  3. intrauterine infections.
  4. An increase in the level of estrogen in breast milk (this hormone inhibits the enzymatic activity of the liver to neutralize the toxic effects of bilirubin) or simply improperly organized breastfeeding, in which the baby does not receive enough food.
  5. Recent studies indicate that jaundice most often occurs in children whose mothers have had abortions or have undergone planned births. It is these facts that supposedly influenced the increase in the number of newborns with symptoms of icteric skin in the last few decades.

Moms, breastfeeding is very important for the health of the little man! Take care of yourself!

Ways to treat pathological jaundice

"How to treat a baby if he has jaundice?" - a question that worries all mothers who are faced with its manifestations in their baby. Indeed, because he is so small, how can you poison his delicate clean body with medicines? Treatment is not aimed at eliminating the symptom (that is, yellowness), but at helping the body fight the disease that caused it. Pharmaceutical and non-pharmacological agents are used.

Medical treatment

The child is prescribed drugs to help neutralize the toxin, accelerating its withdrawal (diuretic, choleretic and hepatoprotective). Of these, the most common are: Hofitol in liquid form, Ursofalk, Phenobarbital and Magnesia. However, if you read the instructions for these drugs, then in many of them you will not find any mention of jaundice. But, for sure, pay attention to the sea of ​​contraindications from the nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and others. In addition, it will be very difficult for the immature liver and intestines to cope with such a drug load.

With such serious medicines, the children's body can not cope on its own!

Some doctors suggest giving the baby a rosehip decoction to drink. This calms the mother, because it’s not to swallow pills, after all, a natural product. In this position, there is something from Soviet times, when the child was given juices and decoctions almost after birth. Well, the body of a newborn is not adapted to digest anything other than mother's milk or its analogue!

In severe cases of hemolytic disease accompanied by jaundice, the baby may need a blood transfusion. But this, fortunately, happens very rarely.

Treatment without medication

In the world practice of treating jaundice in newborns, there has already been a revision and a departure from medical methods. Instead, the mother is taught about breastfeeding (proper attachment to the breast), mother-child chambers are practiced (to attach the baby to the breast as early as possible, feed him on demand), use special lamps to treat jaundice and conduct phototherapy.

In some of our maternity hospitals, however, they still practice breastfeeding only on the third day (especially in the presence of a blood conflict), feeding by the clock and using lamps only in extreme cases.

The idea to use a lamp to treat jaundice arose when it was noticed that under the influence of sunlight in babies improves general state and the color of the skin is normalized. So maybe you shouldn’t “irradiate” the child and just take him out more often? But it is advisable to do this only in the summer. The weather should be warm, sunny, windless. The baby should be only in a diaper and socks. At the same time, in the morning hours, he has an increased risk of hypothermia, and in a hot afternoon - to get burned.

Here it is - an effective and safe way that will help you quickly cope with all skin defects!

The lamp is devoid of such shortcomings. It does not depend on the time of year and day, you can stay under it for a long time (only with breaks for feeding), there is no possibility of hypothermia or overheating. Recovery under it occurs much faster due to the emission of light of a certain spectrum, under the influence of which dangerous bilirubin is transformed into a compound that is easily excreted in urine and feces.

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If your child turned yellow after birth, the doctor decides on his treatment. If the doctor prescribes medications, after which the baby's body will require recovery, this is a signal that the doctor is not qualified enough. Think about finding a new doctor!

Jaundice in newborns is observed in 60% of full-term and 80% of premature babies. It is manifested by yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes, sclera (outer membranes of the eye). Jaundice may appear on the second or fourth day of a baby's life, and disappear after two or three days.

Causes of neonatal jaundice

The reason why the delicate skin of a newborn turns yellow is an increased level of bilirubin in the baby's blood. Normally, its indicator does not exceed 20.5 µmol / l, therefore, values ​​\u200b\u200bmore than 35 indicate jaundice.

Hemoglobin, which inside the mother's womb carried oxygen through the blood vessels of the fetus, after the birth of the baby breaks down and is excreted from the body. If the necessary enzymes in the liver of a newborn are not enough, this hemoglobin accumulates in it, poisoning the body and manifesting itself as yellowness of the skin and eyes of the newborn.

The immune system of premature babies is very weak, so they are more likely to be exposed to jaundice than healthy full-term babies. However, modern medical technologies and equipment of perinatal centers make it possible to quickly cope with jaundice in newborns, which is of a physiological nature.

Depending on the causes that cause yellowing of the skin of a newborn, they differ:

  1. physiological jaundice in newborns;
  2. pathological jaundice.

Physiological jaundice is not a dangerous phenomenon, it will pass quickly, often already in the maternity hospital after several sessions of phototherapy, in which the newborn is placed under a special lamp.

Pathological jaundice is much more serious. The cause is a violation of the outflow of bile from the body. Cause jaundice in newborns can:

  • hereditary diseases received from parents;
  • hormonal disorders;
  • hemolytic disease;
  • viral and infectious diseases;
  • mechanical damage to the liver or biliary tract during childbirth.

With pathological jaundice in a newborn, in addition to the yellowness of the skin, there will be other signs that indicate the disease. Doctors in the maternity hospital or mother after discharge can pay attention to them.

Physiological jaundice in newborns

Physiological jaundice is not considered a disease. After the birth of the baby, the load on the liver increases dramatically, but a healthy child's body will cope with this load on its own in a few days, and the yellowness of the skin and eyes will disappear by itself.

Signs of pathological jaundice

Pathological jaundice in a newborn is caused by a violation of the outflow of bile from the body. Such conditions require medical intervention. Jaundice can be caused by:

  • birth trauma;
  • hypoxia;
  • acute and chronic infections;
  • thyroid insufficiency.

Mechanical jaundice

The causes of obstructive jaundice in newborns are a violation of the patency of the biliary tract, pathology of the liver or gallbladder. They can be caused by birth trauma, appear 2-3 weeks after birth. In addition to yellowing of the skin, children can notice:

  • colorless feces;
  • dark urine.

The child becomes irritable, his delicate skin is dry. Upon examination, the doctor will reveal enlarged spleen parameters, and tests will show a significantly increased level of bilirubin in the baby's blood. Additional examinations, including ultrasound, can reveal blockage of the biliary tract or other pathologies.

Hemolytic pathology

No more than 1% of diseases are due to hemolytic disease. The causes that cause it are hereditary in nature:

  1. mismatch of blood groups in a child with a mother;
  2. Rhesus conflict between mother and child.

Jaundice will appear immediately after birth: the newborn has clearly visible yellowness of the skin and sclera of the eyes (the skin acquires an orange tint), the newborn does not show activity, looks lethargic, his reflexes are reduced. On palpation, the doctor determines an increase in organs: the liver, spleen.

When Mom Needs to Worry

Physiological jaundice of the skin of newborns is not a pathology, it will pass in a few days. In order to speed up this process, it is necessary to apply the newborn to the mother's breast as early as possible. Colostrum, which appears after childbirth in the mother, will help the speedy removal of bilirubin from the child's body.

Urgent treatment to the hospital and, if necessary, hospitalization will be required if the mother notices in the baby:

  • involuntary tilting of the head back;
  • reduced sucking reflex;
  • moodiness or constant drowsiness;
  • muscle cramps of the limbs, fever;
  • constantly tightly clenched fists, legs bent at the knees;
  • respiratory disorders.

Such symptoms may indicate the development of "nuclear jaundice", which is fraught with disability of the child. Timely treatment will reduce the risk chronic disease and lethal outcome.

Yellow whites of the eyes in newborns indicate a disease such as jaundice. Why is this happening? This question is asked by all mothers who are faced with this problem. In the first days of his life, it is difficult for a baby to adapt to new conditions of existence.

His body is not yet prepared for a harsh external environment and therefore is especially susceptible to the influence of a wide variety of factors. The risk of this disease is especially strong for premature babies.

Classification

Doctors define two types of disease:

  1. Physiological "safe" jaundice:
  • "Milk" - manifests itself when there is an excess of the hormone estrogen in breast milk;
  • Neonatal - does not need treatment, goes away on its own.
  1. pathological condition. In this case, the child needs urgent medical attention.
  • Conjugative - associated with liver disease;
  • Nuclear - here an increased coefficient of bilirubin (a breakdown product of red blood cells) is established in the brain stem;
  • Mechanical - due to a malformation of the biliary tract.

Physiological jaundice in a newborn baby has nothing to do with such a dangerous infectious disease as Botkin's disease in adults. In the case of a small child, one often speaks of a natural process of adaptation.

Remember, for 40 weeks the baby lived in the amniotic fluid in the womb, and now he was taken out. Jaundice does not pose a threat to the life and health of the child. It appears on the 2-4th day of life. The course of the disease takes on the strength of 6-8 days.

Causes of pathological jaundice

In 75% of newborns, normal "safe" jaundice is observed, which is not dangerous for him and soon passes.

However, in some cases, doctors diagnose signs of a pathological disease:

  • The baby was born with a yellowish skin tone, or this color appears on the first day of his independent life;
  • Symptoms appear brighter after 3-4 days of the baby's life;
  • Yellow coloration of the skin does not disappear within a month;
  • Periodic appearance and disappearance of the disease;
  • pale stools, dark urine;
  • The appearance of bruises;
  • Enlargement of the liver or spleen;
  • yellow pimples;
  • Vomit;
  • General ill health of the child.

Prerequisites for the occurrence of the disease are:

  • Conflict of blood between mother and child;
  • Predisposition to jaundice;
  • genetic diseases;
  • congenital infections;
  • Metabolic disease;
  • Malformation of the liver or biliary tract;
  • Asphyxia of the baby during childbirth;
  • Hormonal disorders.

When observing such signs, parents should not panic ahead of time. It is necessary to consult a pediatrician promptly and promptly. After examining and conducting research, the specialist will prescribe the appropriate correct treatment for your child.

The consequences of pathological icteric disease for a child can be:

  • Violation of the brain;
  • neurological abnormalities;
  • Toxic poisoning of the body;
  • Deafness;
  • Lag in mental development;
  • Paralysis;
  • Risk of cirrhosis or liver;
  • Weakened immunity.

The consequences are most directly related to the causes of the disease. As a rule, timely diagnosed jaundice and strict adherence to the prescribed treatment exclude the problem of complications.

Methods for the treatment of jaundice

Medical intervention is not required for mild forms of the disease.

As for the pathological variations of jaundice, then treatment is necessary. Mom and baby stay in the hospital for as long as needed. Doctors prescribe different groups of therapy depending on the causes of the disease.

Both individual therapy and combined therapy are prescribed:

  • antiviral;
  • antibacterial;
  • choleretic;
  • immune;
  • detoxification.

Side effects during treatment occur, but mostly mild and transient.

If the cause for the occurrence of jaundice was the incompatibility of the blood of the mother and the baby, then a blood transfusion is prescribed. Sometimes transfusions are repeated several times. The goal is to replace the old blood with new. At the first procedure, up to 70% of its total amount in the child's body can be replaced. This process must be combined with antibiotics or physiotherapy.

Mechanical jaundice is eliminated through surgery. Responsibility for the decision lies with the medical commission, which examined the baby and came to the conclusion that this is necessary.

Sometimes doctors prescribe a 96-hour course of phototherapy. The baby's eyes are covered with a bandage and placed under a special lamp. Sunlight has a similar effect on the skin of a child: vitamin D begins to be actively produced in the light, which contributes to the rapid disappearance of bilirubin.

If it seems to doctors that the disease is very pronounced, then glucose and activated charcoal preparations are prescribed. With the help of glucose, the liver begins to work more actively. Coal has a good absorbent property and, along with harmful substances, takes bilirubin with it. It is excreted along with feces.

Pathological forms of jaundice require the development of treatment methods depending on the causes of the disease. In this case, all factors are taken into account: the course of pregnancy, the illness of the mother, the circumstances of the birth of the child, how the birth went. Recommendations of the endocrinologist and the surgeon are given.

Folk remedies

Everyone knows that with mother's milk, the baby gets everything he needs. nutrients. ethnoscience has its own recommendations in order to save the child from jaundice.

You need to make some changes to your mom's diet:

  • 100 grams of fresh rowan juice;
  • 1 tsp rosehip syrup;
  • 30 drops of barberry tincture;
  • 100 grams of beetroot juice;
  • 1 tsp aloe juice.

You can choose any one remedy and take it 3 times a day 20-30 minutes before meals.

It is also advised to brew and drink special tea from young shoots of chokeberry or from currant leaves. The period of use must be at least one month.

Infusions work well:

  • From wormwood: 1 tsp of wormwood is poured with 2 cups of boiling water, infused for 20 minutes, then filtered. You can sweeten the decoction with honey;
  • From St. John's wort: 15 grams of grass is poured into 250 ml of boiling water, infused for 25 minutes, filtered. During the day you need to drink at least a liter of this infusion.

Further prevention of the problem

From the first moments of life, the baby is applied to the breast, which is the best prevention of neonatal jaundice. Mother's milk is an excellent laxative, which helps to remove bilirubin with the first feces and avoid yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes in the future.