Breast Milk Jaundice Advice Please!

[pipsy76]

Hi just wondered if any of you have any experience of breast milk jaundice. DS2 is 19 days old and still quite jaundiced. However he feeds really well, wakes to feed and has periods when he is alert. His wee and poo are the correct colour and his weight gain is good. The midwifes said don't worry this is breast milk jaundice its harmless. However the HV has said he must see the gp. I hadn't heard of breast milk jaundice before, my only information is from google. I haven't yet seen the gp as we haven't yet registered the birth as we cant decide on a name! I'm sure DS is perfectly ok and definitely don't want him subjected to lots of unnecessary testing or to be told to give formula. Any advice or experience welcome please!

No-one should suggest formula and no test should be uneccessary.

You can't diagnose breast milk jaundice by just looking at a baby. It can be your best guess though!

However without a blood test it is not really possible to say that jaundice that goes on for 2-3 weeks is NOT due to an undiagnosed liver problem (rare but serious), so most areas will have a protocol whereby the HV or GP should refer prolonged jaundice back to the hospital for a quick blood test which will be more definitive.

Why not go to the GP and see what they say? But if you wake up tomorrow and the jaundice has gone then no need....

Thanks for the sensible advice gagarin, I will go to the gp asap, its just that we need to have registered the birth before we can be seen by our gp, so I really need to choose a name quickly!

It is probably best to get seen by GP to be sure. But don't panic - DS had this for several weeks. He was also alert, feeding well, lots of poos and wees of right colours, etc. Went on its own in time. So don't worry too much.

Good luck choosing a name, now that is hard!

pipsy you don't need to have registered the bany to see the GP. They can put him down as a temp resident type thing as Baby Pipsy. My DD saw the GP at 5 days for a nailbed infection.

My DD had jaundice for nearly 7 weeks and after the first 2 we were referred to a paediatrician for bilirubin tests and liver function tests etc. All resolved now - it was breast milk jaundice but it is better to be safe than sorry. If it was the serious kinds the results could be very harmful. I am surprised at m/w saying that - she has no way of knowing (although obviously the poo/pee colour are indictators they are not absolute).

I meant "baby" of course

Definetly go and see the GP. They need to do liver function tests if the gaundice goes on for too long. My cousins baby died because the HV failed to send the baby to the GP so it does happen, I don't think it was purly because of the breast feeding though.

My DS was jaundice and after 2 weeks, we were refered and he had a urine and blood test and all came back clear.
Defo see the GP and have the tests done.
Better to be safe than sorry.

My DS had this till 10 weeks and all the tests were fine.