Jaundice affects many newborn babies in the first several days of life. Jaundice occurs when excess bilirubin builds up in the baby's blood supply, making their skin/jaundiced areas and the whites of their eyes appear yellow. Most of the time, jaundice is mild and short-lived; however, untreated, very high bilirubin levels can create complications for the baby. Advances in medical technology and Neonatal Care have allowed for a more efficient, effective, and less invasive approach to Jaundicing Treatment of Newborns.

Understanding Neonatal Jaundice

• The baby's liver is immature shortly after birth, and this lack of maturity can delay the baby's ability to break down bilirubin for days to weeks after birth.
• Newborn jaundice occurs more frequently in some babies; for example, in premature infants, when there is a discrepancy between the infant's blood type and its mother's blood type, and when the baby has difficulty feeding.
• Screening and diagnosing newborn jaundice early in the newborn's life provides an opportunity to treat jaundice promptly and prevent serious complications.

Role of Advanced Phototherapy Units

• Newborn jaundice treatment has evolved into a more sophisticated method using advanced phototherapy units that utilize specific wavelengths of blue light to remove bilirubin from newborn infants’ skin.
• Today’s phototherapy units are much more effective than older styles of phototherapy units and therefore require less time to treat a newborn’s jaundice.
• They can also provide better coverage to infants’ skins and therefore increase the effectiveness and end result for treating jaundice.
• By providing better safety, comfort, and speed to newborns, advanced phototherapy systems are changing the way we treat infant jaundice.

How Phototherapy Ensures Safe Therapy

• Modern newborn phototherapy units provide safe therapy for newborns.
• New technologies allow the user to adjust both light intensity and temperature as a way to reduce the risk of overheating from light or dehydration from heat.
• Also, with the help of continuous monitoring, you can ensure that your newborn is safe and comfortable during your treatment.
• By providing adequate eye protection and proper positioning of the baby, you can minimize the risk of eye injury from phototherapy.

Importance of Timely Newborn Jaundice Treatment

• Treating newborn jaundice in a timely manner stops the baby from reaching dangerously high levels of bilirubin.
• Treating jaundice in newborns early will prevent serious complications such as brain damage or hearing impairment.
• The technology used by doctors to track how well a newborn is responding to newborn jaundice treatment has been improved.
• Doctors create treatment plans based on the needs of each unique newborn.

Neonatal Care Beyond Phototherapy

• Providing care for neonatal care goes beyond the provision of medical care; it encompasses the entire experience of the baby and parent/guardian during the transition into parenthood.
• The neonate will receive supportive care in the form of fluids and food via the mother’s breast milk, as well as ongoing monitoring of their health status.
• In addition, parents will receive education on breastfeeding and proper nutrition to provide them with the skill set to care for their new baby competently.
• After the baby has been discharged from the hospital, a series of follow-up appointments will be scheduled to monitor the baby’s ongoing growth and development at home.

Supporting Parents

Providing Parents with information regarding the signs and symptoms of jaundice, as well as treatment options available, is important to help ease parents' anxiety and increase parents’ confidence in the care provided for their baby. If parents know how jaundice works, they can be more involved in their baby’s treatment plan through collaboration between themselves and their Healthcare Team.