KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Hi Chief, Mummies and Daddies,

I am back, and with my new family member, Shanice (10 days old). Currently doing my confinement at home now.

Shanice has Neonatal Jaundice of 9.8 (Serum Bilirubin level), discovered when she is 3 day old. She did a day of Phototherapy in Hospital. They discharged her with me together on Day 4 but with level of 11.1 (Serum Bilirubin level). Suppose to do sunbathing when at home, but the weather was either cloudy or raining. When we went back for checkup, 6th day old, her level raised up to 17. We were very worry at tat time...

Luckily the Peadiatrician sent us back with arrangement with Home Phototherapy Company to set up a phototherapy set at home and undergo phototherapy for 2 days. As I am a Peadiatric nurse before, I roughly know what to do. But as a newborn mum, worry for her bb..... Currently the reading level dropped to 10. (Dun need any more treatment once the reading has gone down).

Initlally, I took confinement food without wine, herbs, chicken( due to C sect)... but I took little bit of ginger...(equals to not much food to eat) then after Shanice's blood test reading gone up, I dun dare to take any. Replaced it with pepper. (So called to have the same effect of getting rid of the wind. ) Somehow my body aching started. Peadiatrician told me to play safe, no ginger, herbs, alcohol for 4 weeks.... (hmm... then might as well I don't do confinement.)

After doing much researches from books and reliable website and consulting from experience breastfeeding mums, I decided to start taking little ginger after 12 days (To play safe), wine and herbs.


Mummy can share your traditional confinement with me.... [/img][/url]

jenniferjoey wrote:Hi Chief, Mummies and Daddies,

I am back, and with my new family member, Shanice (10 days old). Currently doing my confinement at home now. ...

jenniferjoey!!! You went all quiet that we got worried. It's great to hear that all is well and you have managed to go through your pregnancy so smoothly!

These days, it is almost considered abnormal if the infant does not suffer from jaundice within the first few days of birth. Both my kids have it, and all the parents I talked to have some war stories to tell about their fight with jaundice. I'm sure you'll ride it out. Take care and have lots of rest!

As a 1st time mum then, i was horrified to be advised to stop
breastfeeding for awhile. Yes. Stop breastfeeding. Can
you imagine my anguish. I too used to work in GP and have seen
my fair share of goings-on which i thought was sufficient to prep me.
How wrong i was. But as the reading increased each time i went for bb's
follow up... i decided i couldn't bear to watch the prick on her heel any
longer... Bb was so used to it after double light photo-therapy and daily
prickings that she simply stuck her heel out automatically after a while..
.... for the daily early morning pricks.

I was informed that breast milk may cause the increase as bb's liver or
was it kidney... paiseh... ... cannot remember exactly now... was
still adapting to the many nutrients and may not be able to take it the
1st few weeks. Especially so if the mother does not share the same blood
type as the bb. I'm O+ and DD1 was B+. And especially so if the baby
was born a premie. (premature baby) No number of tanning trips out
helped at all. Neither did less ginger help either.

So... determined as i was to stop the prickings asap.... especially when i
was informed if it increased further, she'd need a transfusion... i ceased
the b'feeding temporarily and stock up the breast milk into the glass
bottles provided by the hospital. As she grew bigger, i began alternating
formula and breast milk.

It worked.

For me, at least. Phew...

Just my sharings.

on your newborn, dear!

jenniferjoey wrote:Somehow my body aching started. Peadiatrician told me to play safe, no ginger, herbs, alcohol for 4 weeks.... (hmm... then might as well I don't do confinement.)

During confinement, I got a lady who comes in every morning (the first seven days at home) to do the post natal massage. It was shiok and also helps on the body aching part. The body felt so much lighter.

Besides that, I take essence of chicken and pollyney ikan haruan essence. More for the energy

Also, mine was c-section too.

Anyway.. Congratulations... !!

buds wrote:As a 1st time mum then, i was horrified to be advised to stop
breastfeeding for awhile. Yes. Stop breastfeeding. Can
you imagine my anguish. I too used to work in GP and have seen
my fair share of goings-on which i thought was sufficient to prep me.
How wrong i was. But as the reading increased each time i went for bb's
follow up... i decided i couldn't bear to watch the prick on her heel any
longer... Bb was so used to it after double light photo-therapy and daily
prickings that she simply stuck her heel out automatically after a while..
.... for the daily early morning pricks.

Wow Buds,

Really appreciate that you told me your experience, looks like your 1st bb really got into serious Jaundice which need daily blood test. When I brought my bb for the blood test, the pricking sound on her tiny heel break my heart. I used to prick into other patients' fingers to test for blood (I do it gently on them, none of them cried before), but never seen my own bb cried for it. (Funny is the 2nd time she went for the blood test she just frown abit.)

Hope I can share my accumulate knowledge about Jaundice with the rest of the mums-to-be or new mums with same problem.

Jaundice in Healthy Newborns
Jaundice refers to the yellow color of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by excess bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is produced by the normal breakdown of red blood cells.

Normally, bilirubin passes through the liver and is excreted as bile through the intestines. Jaundice occurs when bilirubin builds up faster than a newborn's liver can break it down and pass it from the body. Reasons for this include:

Newborns make more bilirubin than adults do since they have more turnover of red blood cells. A newborn baby's still-developing liver may not yet be able to remove adequate bilirubin from the blood.
Too large an amount of bilirubin is reabsorbed from the intestines before the baby gets rid of it in the stool.

High levels of bilirubin — usually above 25 mg — can cause deafness, cerebral palsy, or other forms of brain damage in some babies. In less common cases, jaundice may indicate the presence of another condition, such as an infection or a thyroid problem.

Types of Jaundice

Physiological Jaundice: (Most common) occurring in most newborns, this mild jaundice is due to the immaturity of the baby's liver, which leads to a slow processing of bilirubin. It generally appears at 2 to 4 days of age and disappears by 1 to 2 weeks of age.

Jaundice of Prematurity: occurs frequently in premature babies since they are even less ready to excrete bilirubin effectively. Jaundice in premature babies needs to be treated at a lower bilirubin level than in full term babies in order to avoid complications.

Breastfeeding Jaundice: jaundice can occur when a breastfeeding baby is not getting enough breast milk because of difficulty with breastfeeding or because the mother's milk isn’t in yet. This is not caused by a problem with the breast milk itself, but by the baby not getting enough to drink.

Breast Milk Jaundice: in 1% to 2% of breastfed babies, jaundice may be caused by substances produced in their mother's breast milk that can cause the bilirubin level to rise. These can prevent the excretion of bilirubin through the intestines. It starts after the first 3 to 5 days and slowly improves over 3 to 12 weeks.

Blood Group Incompatibility (Rh or ABO problems): if a baby has a different blood type than the mother, the mother might produce antibodies that destroy the infant's red blood cells. This creates a sudden buildup of bilirubin in the baby's blood. Incompatibility jaundice can begin as early as the first day of life. Rh problems once caused the most severe form of jaundice, but now can be prevented with an injection of Rh immune globulin to the mother within 72 hours after delivery, which prevents her from forming antibodies that might endanger any subsequent babies.

Symptoms and Diagnosis
Jaundice usually appears around the second or third day of life. It begins at the head and progresses downward. A jaundiced baby's skin will usually appear yellow first on the face, followed by the chest and stomach, and finally, the legs. It can also cause the whites of an infant's eyes to appear yellow.

Since many babies are now released from the hospital at 1 or 2 days of life, it is best for the baby to be seen by a doctor within 1 to 2 days of leaving the hospital to check for jaundice (esp for Caucasians who discharge right after enough resting in hospital). Parents should also keep an eye on their infants to detect jaundice.

If you notice your baby’s skin or eyes looking yellow you should contact your peadiatrician to see if significant jaundice is present.

The seriousness of the jaundice will vary based on how many hours old your child is and the presence of other medical conditions.

Treatments
In mild or moderate levels of jaundice, by 1 to 2 weeks of age the baby will take care of the excess bilirubin on its own. For high levels of jaundice, phototherapy — treatment with a special light that helps rid the body of the bilirubin by altering it or making it easier for your baby's liver to get rid of it — may be used.

More frequent feedings of breast milk or supplementing with formula to help infants pass the bilirubin in their stools may also be recommended. In rare cases, a blood exchange may be required to give a baby fresh blood and remove the bilirubin.

If your baby develops jaundice that seems to be from breast milk, your doctor may ask you to temporarily stop breastfeeding. During this time, you can pump your breasts so you can keep producing breast milk and you can start nursing again once the condition has cleared.

If the amount of bilirubin is high, your baby may be readmitted to the hospital for treatment. Once the bilirubin level drops and the treatment is stopped, it is unlikely that treatment for jaundice will need to be restarted.


Happy Sharing and Reading! Hope this benefit some of you!