When a baby is born, one of the first things that the medical staff assesses is the color of the infant. This is because a healthy color means that organs are functioning properly and that the baby is receiving sufficient oxygen as it breathes its first breaths. Sometimes, however, infants encounter a yellowish coloring known as jaundice. This common condition, caused by a build up of bilirubin in the infant's body, can be remedied at home.
Sunlight
Get the baby into light. Sunlight helps the infant's body break down the chemical bonds of the bilirubin naturally. Many doctors who know this will prescribe phototherapy with special light lamps in severe cases of jaundice. Sunlight can be a safe alternative to such lights and is completely free. One warning about placing a baby in sunlight, however, is that it must be done sparingly and thus may not be a complete substitute for phototherapy lights. This is because the skin of a newborn is extremely sensitive and can burn easily.
Increased Food Intake
Increase food intake for the newborn. Increasing food intake is a good treatment for newborn jaundice because, especially in the case of breastfeeding, it encourages mother-child bonding through the feeding and assists the newborn in gaining weight after birth. It works as a treatment because bilirubin can be flushed from the body through the infant's bowel movements and urine. This means that more bilirubin will be flushed from the infant's body the more that the infant eats. In this regard, it is important to realize that breastfed infants usually eat more often than formula fed infants, because formula is digested more slowly than breast milk. As long as the infant has a good number of wet and soiled diapers, breast milk and formula feeding are acceptable methods of feeding the newborn during jaundice. Breastfeeding mothers may need to supplement with formula until their milk is fully in, however.
Frequent Symptom Check
Check the infant often for signs of jaundice, which cannot be remedied unless the caregiver notices the infant's yellow color. Often this does not happen because the increase in yellow tint is gradual and the caregiver therefore does not notice the change and doesn't check the infant. Caregivers should check for jaundice at the same time every day and in the same light so that they have a level of consistency for comparison. Jaundice appears from the head down, so caregivers should pay particular attention to the head and whites of the infant's eyes. If these begin to have a yellow tint, the other jaundice remedies may be needed.
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