Prolonged Jaundice, blood tests and phototherapy

[ghoulelocks]

My midwifery team has a policy of doing blood tests etc. for prolonged jaundice (21+ days), DD is over that (24 days) and still jaundiced.

However she was admitted at 5 days for phototherapy and had blood tests etc. to rule out infection and other causes. I'm very reluctant to put her through more blood tests (they were horrible) if they are superfluous because she's had many already with no problems found. They were very through with her as she was early and I had group b strep, 3 days in hospital of observations and tests.

She's breastfed, born at 36 weeks and not quite back at her birthweight of 6lb. She is FAR less jaundiced, only her face and chest are yellow and her eyes are quite clear. Before her eyes were bright yellow and it extended to her feet. She also is alert now, self-waking for feeds.

Would it be wise to ask for a second opinion before putting her through the stress of tests and hospital again?

They aren't going to suggest more tests if they feel it isn't necessary. There are some rarer reasons for prolonged jaundice and they will be wanting to eliminate these as time will be important in the unlikely event of a rarer problem. A close friend has recently been through with her newborn though in her case they knew early on it wasn't an average jaundice.

As already pointed out, these tests won't be done unless there is a cause for concern.

Relatively recently the NICE guidelines were simplified resulting in fewer tests for prolonged jaundice of full term and thriving infants. However, you point out that your dd was (1) early, (2) not back to her birth weight and (3) exposed to strep b, so in your dd's case the previous protocol would still apply, which involves more extensive testing to find out the cause of her prolonged jaundice.

I totally understand that it is very stressful for you to have your baby having to undergo these tests. But rest assured, your baby will not remember these tests when she is older. So they are mainly stressful for you. If you are breastfeeding, you may find it easier to breastfeed her whenever possible during these tests.

I hope they soon find the cause of your baby's PJ.