Jaundice worries in 8 day old baby

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I don’t know whether this is just post natal anxiety but I’m driving myself mad with worry.

DD was visibly very jaundiced on day 5 which coincided with a MW appointment where her bilirubin levels were found to be high on the biliflash and she had also lost 12.5% of her birth weight.
We were admitted back to hospital right away and DD was put on double phototherapy for 24 hours at which point her blood was tested and her levels were found to have come down below the treatment threshold so she was taken off the treatment and left overnight for a repeat blood test which showed her levels had fallen even more and we were able to be discharged.

We’ve been home since yesterday morning and I’m still so, so paranoid about the yellow in her skin (chest and face) even though the consultant told me that she would likely appear jaundiced for a while after treatment. The midwives have been round today and said they weren’t worried as it was only on her chest and face.

She’s had plenty wet and dirty nappies since being home, her temperature is normal (36.6) but she’s still soooo sleepy. I have to wake her for every feed (3 hourly) she’s currently combi fed, I express breast milk and give it to her in a bottle and she has the odd formula feed. I’m having to set alarms during the night so that I wake to feed her as she won’t wake herself. She finishes all of her feeds (3oz every 3 hours) although it sometimes takes her a while. The midwife reassured me that it would be incredibly unlikely for the jaundice to return to a level that needs treating when she’s drinking such good volumes and having wet and dirty nappies.

I’m an absolute wreck. So anxious and feel like if there isn’t anything to worry about I’ll find something! Does anyone have any reassurance?

Jaundice is extremely common in newborns and arguably a normal part of being a baby. The bilirubin is a problem only if it reaches extremely high levels and is able to cross into the brain.

HOWEVER

The barrier protecting the brain is much more mature on Day 8 than it is in the earliest days.

AND

The treatment threshold to get phototherapy is well below the levels that actually harm the brain - there's a tendency to view "high enough to need lights" as being in a dangerous zone but it's precautionary, and actually if every phototherapy machine in the country broke the number of babies who actually came to harm would be very small indeed. But because it's such a benign treatment we start it before the number has a chance to rise too much further.

The baby can appear yellow if the bilirubin levels is above 50-100 but the phototherapy treatment line is all the way up at 350 - so there's lots of "room" for a baby to look quite yellow for quite a while and still be nowhere near even the threshold (which is conservative anyway).

At this stage the number is very likely on a downward trend, it's just that you can't tell with the naked eye.

Similarly weight loss 10-14% is well within a range humans are designed to cope with - readmission is to check that something else isn't going on, not because loss of 12.5% is necessarily a dire emergency in itself.

I agree with lesugrist, but your baby is tiny. If you are worried, no one is going to mind seeing you, especially as you have only just been discharged. However if she is feeding well, weeing and pooing it can almost certainly wait until morning.

If you can expose baby to sunlight to help things along.

Thank you both, I feel hugely reassured.

I don't have medical advice about jaundice, though I did go through it with DD1 and remember some of the anxiety you are taking about. Going in and out of hospital again is also very stressful and knocked my confidence, maybe it is the same for you.
What I would say though is that it is also not unusual for new mothers of 8 day olds to be a bit bonkers on hormones, lack of sleep etc so being a nervous wreck is normal too
Congratulations on your new baby girl and keep in touch with your midwives if you are worried- that is what they are there for

Hello! My DD is 9 days old. Noticed jaundice day 2, but it was fairly mild. It was only yesterday really that I could maybe say the yellow was fading. Today her colour is more normal but it’s still there. She has been feeding and toileting well and gaining weight. Yet it is taking over a week for mild jaundice to flush out. I was worried too but the advice about feeding and dirty nappies and waiting it out (with knowledge of what to do if things turn) worked for me. Good luck x

(When I say good luck I don’t mean that you’re in trouble and need it sorry wrong word!)

Two of my three boys had breast milk jaundice, they were both very yellow looking up until about 12 weeks. I did get them both checked out by GP as I have O negative blood and had had some bleeding throughout the pregnancies. GP sent us to hospital on both occasions and the boys had a blood test but it was absolutely fine. Consultant reassured us it was breast milk jaundice and sure enough it started to clear up around 12 weeks.

DS2 had prolonged jaundice, he was very yellow until at least 9/10 weeks.

We were readmitted on day 3 for the lights and also had quite a lot of weight loss. Can I ask why you are expressing? Just part of our problem initially was a tongue time that meant DS2 couldn't latch, things improved a lot when that was dealt with privately on day 8.

We did have to go to an extra appointment at the hospital when he was about 4 weeks I think because he was still yellow. They weighed him and did a blood test to make sure his levels were ok and he was putting on weight and he was fine. By 12 weeks he was a much more normal colour! Hang in there and don't worry about seeking advice if you're worried.

Hello all, First time post on Mumsnet. Worried mum here and was just hoping to get some stories from others who have gone through similar circumstances.

DS2 is 5 days old now. He was born 37+4 after being induced due to concerns over his size (but born 6pound 1 ounce). His Bilirubin levels were too high when 2 days old. DS2 underwent photolight therapy for 24hrs and then released home with condition to return next day for follow up blood tests to check bilirubin level hadn't gone back up again. 2 followup tests later have shown bilirubin levels are rising again 😭. Blood test due to take place tomorrow and if increase in levels again, then DS2 will be back in hospital for further treatment.

So far ABO incompatibility has been ruled out but no other tests have been made since to investigate cause. My milk has been slow to come in fully so DS2 is BF and topped up FF. Feeding was slow to start but now doing well. Midwife said only 4% weightloss compared to birth weight.

Has anyone else has similar experience? Just a bit worried for DS2 and what could be wrong.

I don't want him to go back into hospital - just want to have family bonding time now. But obviously, if DS2 has to undergo further treatment, then we will do whatever we can to get the bilirubin levels back under control.

Thanks in advance everyone! Xx

Babies born in the 37th week get a slightly rubbish deal in that the phototherapy treatment line stays at a very risk-averse low threshold even after that are past their due date. In any case the line is very risk-averse for all babies and the at-risk babies are almost all those who go very high in the first couple of days, not later. There's a handful of other medical causes they might try to exclude but it's overwhelmingly likely just to resolve with time.