Questions & Answers

My first sons levels were around 12 when he was born. I was given vitamin drops to help him along and they just advised me to nurse as often as possible and take him out in the sunshine at least 15 minutes every day. Within a week he was fine.
My second son (born August 19th) had levels between 5 and 10. I had a home birth with a midwife so he was not in the hospital but my midwife just said nurse often and expose him to natural sunlight. At his week check up he was doing much better. Everyone says nurse and nurse often to me. The breast milk runs the bilirubin out faster...though he is 3 weeks and his eyes are still slightly yellow and he's sporting a nice jaundice tan he is healthy.
Hope all is better with your little one.

Both my girls had Jaundice - but I had c-sections so we were already in the hospital. We did the light therapy with both girls..my younger one had super low blood sugar and was a big baby so they started formula right away - which they convinced me would help with the jaundice..maybe it did maybe it didn't make a difference but I wasn't producing enough milk anyway so after two weeks I switched to formula. Don't let yourself worry too much, you have a lot going on being a new mommy and just those hormones alone are a full time job to deal with! If you have a little sun where you live and it's not too hot take him out in the sun for little 10 minute naps - I had to do that with my youngest because she still had it when we came home. It wasn't long before she was over it.

they have lots of treatments that are so wonderful so that way you dont have to bring baby too hospital and stay nights there. my friends son's levels were so high that he should have been hospitalized, but they have this warming blanket with special lights that they lay on. and within a day it started to drop and within a few days baby was completly healthy. its nothing you did wrong, and of course your going to be scared its your sweet baby and throughout life from the time they ride there first bike and fall too the day they get there licence youll always worry!

For his age, those levels aren't that bad. Just make sure the doctors stay on top of it, which I'm sure they will. My son had it too, and we got it under control with lights and stuff.

It'll be okay!!! But remember, if you are breastfeeding, do not let uneducated nurses (or doctors!) try and convince you that you need to switch to formula to make his levels go down faster. For some stupid reason, really ignorant medical "professionals" try and push formula on jaundice babies, and it's so unnecessary and such bull-crap. Stand your ground if you BF, and don't let them guilt you into formula over his levels, especially at such moderately-low levels of biliruben. GL!

Oh and also, your ds liver will begin breaking down the billirubin by 5 days old. So, that will help the levels go down faster.

My dd had to be under the phototherapy lights for two days before her levels went down. Don't be afraid if they ask you to take him to the hosptial to be under the lights. They just want to get his levels down. Plus, the more he poops, the more it will help it go down. Jaundice is common, especially if the baby has a different blood type than the mother (which was my case). It is also genetic (which I had to be under the lights too). Don't fret. If you do have to do the lights, just remember that it is harder on you than the baby. The babies love, love, love the nice warm lights. :) The docs. will take care of it, don't worry.

When my DS was born with jaundice the doctor said that it will go up before going down. LIke the other post, I was encouraged to breastfeed as much as possible. After about a week I think is when they started to finaly go down but it took a while for it to completely go away.

My DS also had jaundice when he was born, his got all the way up to 18 before it went down and then went away. It was hard but as long as you do everything the dr's say he should be okay. The dr's told me to breastfeed as much as possible and have him under direct sunlight as much as possible. Hope it all works out.