What Do You Do For Breast Milk Jaundice?

Discussion Almost all infants in the first few days of life have some elevation of their bilirubin because of the various physiologic changes they undergo in the transition to extra-uterine life. This is a common problem managed by many different inpatient and outpatient healthcare providers. This hyperbilirubinemia is usually unconjugated and resolves in the first 1-2 weeks of life. However, when it does not resolve, health care providers have 3 general paths to follow when considering a cause: inadequate breast milk intake, an underlying organic cause or breast milk jaundice. Inadequate breastfeeding is not uncommon and can be caused by many problems such as inadequate maternal education/experience or support, difficulties with latching or sucking, inadequate number of breastfeeding attempts or duration, or maternal fatigue or health issues. It is uncommon that inadequate milk supply is the cause but it does occur for some women. Often after the first 1-2 weeks, once breastfeeding appears to be established, the mother may increase the breastfeeding intervals slightly which decreases the number of attempts/day. For most healthy infants this is not a problem. For other infants especially younger ones, decreasing the number of feeds by 1-2/day may cause inadequate breastfeeding, slower weight gain and possibly prolonged hyperbilirubinemia. Some people term prolonged hyperbilirubinemia due to inadequate breastfeeding as breastfeeding jaundice. Some authors note “…t...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news