Routine Screening for Jaundice
June 19, 2007 by kate baggott
Filed under Baby Care, Mental Health
Pediatricians are recommending that all newborns now be screened for jaundice said a report in the Globe and Mail yesterday.
- Sixty per cent of all newborns experience some form of jaundice and 2 per cent go on to develop severe jaundice. While in most cases jaundice clears up on its own, more serious cases require treatment. If undiagnosed or diagnosed too late, those severely jaundiced babies can develop kernicterus, a life-threatening condition affecting the brain and causing long-term neurological damage.
Most babies whose blood types differ from their mothers experience some level of jaundice. In the summer months, mild cases can be processed by the baby’s own liver when they are subjected to indirect sunlight by napping near a window. During the winter months, where exposure none of us get enough sunlight, even mild jaundice can require treatment under lights or with saline drip.
If your baby has jaundice and requires hospitalization, you may want to read this post on surviving infant hospitalization while recovering from childbirth.
