Jaundice is a yellow discoloration in a newborn baby’s skin and eyes.
Jaundice is a sign that there’s too much bilirubin in the baby’s blood. Jaundice is more likely to occur in babies who lose a lot of weight right after delivery, in babies who have diabetic mothers, and in babies who arrived via induced labour.
While about half of all newborns develop jaundice, this condition is not something that should be played with.
The past president of the Nigerian Society of Neo-natal Medicine (NISONM), Prof Raphael Uruamabo has warned about the dangers jaundice can do to a baby’s brain.
According to him, the condition is so severe it can damage a baby’s brain, so it is better to prevent the condition than treat it. Left untreated, jaundice can lead to an extremely rare condition called kernicterus, which can result in permanent damage to the brain.
He explained that the rate of jaundice in the country now is getting too frequent. He explains that this is because of the following practices.
- Some Nigerian mothers use camphor to preserve baby’s nappies.
- Some mothers use leaves to clean the umbilical cord which can cause infection and jaundice.
- Lack of exclusive breastfeeding.
Jaundice often appears on the face first and then spreads to the rest of the baby’s body, including the whites of the eyes. However in very dark babies the yellowing may be visible only in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
Once a mother believes her child has jaundice, Prof Uruamabo advises that he most important action should be to go to the nearest health centre.
“Do not put the baby in the early-morning sunshine, because you are wasting time. Giving ampicillin drops might not help, because the cause may not be an infection. The treatment is definite, so go to hospital. Also initiate breastfeeding as early as possible; that will help the baby clear its bowels and prevent jaundice,” he says.
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