Home Remedies For Newborn Jaundice

Parents are often asked to look out for signs of new born jaundice. A yellow tint to the eyes and the skin generally indicates a presence of jaundice. Since the baby’s liver is still immature, it cannot always get rid of the excess bilirubin in the body and this in turn gets accumulated in the skin.

Normally the jaundice settles down on its own as the baby’s liver gets stronger. But it may not be a pleasant sight to see your little one suffer or cry from the discomfort. Once you take your baby back home, there are some things you can do to bring down the jaundice.

Top Home Remedies For Newborn Jaundice

Home Phototherapy

In case the baby’s bilirubin counts are not coming down or are increasing, home phototherapy is required. This uses a special sun lamp which is exposed to the baby. The lamp helps to bring down the bilirubin in the body. A bilirubin blanket may also be given to you. The baby is wrapped in the blanket. It works by absorbing the excess bilirubin from the baby’s body.

Expose Baby To Sunlight

For mild jaundice, babies respond best to sunlight. Your doctor will ask you to expose your baby to the sun for a few minutes. You may be asked to stand next to a window during early morning and let the sun’s rays fall on the baby. The sun dissolves the excess bilirubin and this is then excreted in the child’s urine. In few days your baby should start to feel better.

Learn To Relax

Some parents get unnecessarily agitated and frantic seeing their child’s condition. Learn to relax and take it easy. New born jaundice is very common and not all that serious unless the baby is showing definite signs of distress. Listen to the doctor and avoid needless anxiety.

Feed The Baby Often

For bilirubin to be excreted from the urine, the baby has to have a diet that is high on fluids. Mothers should ensure that they feed their babies frequently.

Endeavour to feed your baby once every 2 hours. You can give the baby breast milk or formula milk though breast milk is loaded with antibodies and is infinitely better.

Reduce The Baby’s Sleep Time

There may be chances that your baby is sleeping too much as a result of jaundice. The jaundice could leave your baby fatigued. Try to reduce the baby’s sleep time by waking him/her frequently for feeds. The more you feed, the better he/she will fare for the long term.

Formula Feedings

In order to increase the baby’s fluid intake, doctors may ask you to give the baby formula milk. This can be done with a spoon, finger or syringe. Avoid bottles as they lead to nipple confusion. In the meantime you can express milk from your breast and store the milk in the fridge to avoid breast infection or mastitis.

At the same time it is important to keep a check on the baby’s symptoms and see if the counts have come down or the symptoms have eased.