Regarding jaundice, a lot of moms and dads have been asking lately, “I heard that jaundice is caused by breast milk, is that true?” “Is jaundice caused by breast milk? How can I prevent it? Can I wean myself from breast milk?” …… How does jaundice come about? Jaundice is caused by an increase in the concentration of bilirubin in the body. Newborns do not need as many red blood cells. The metabolic product of the destruction of red blood cells is bilirubin. If the bilirubin level is too high, i.e. “hyperbilirubinosis”, jaundice will occur. How can I tell if my baby has jaundice? The easiest way is to observe the degree of yellowing of the newborn’s skin under natural light. If only the face is yellow, then it is mild jaundice; the yellowing of the skin of the trunk is moderate jaundice. Judgment method is: use the fingers to press the trunk skin after lifting, observe the skin yellowing; with the same method to observe the limbs and the heart of the hands and feet, if there is also yellowing, that is, severe yellowing, should be promptly to the hospital for examination and treatment. How to distinguish physiological jaundice from pathological jaundice? 1, the characteristics of physiological jaundice ① in the first 2 to 3 days after birth and gradually deepen, in the 4th to 6th day for the peak, the second week of jaundice gradually reduce; ② jaundice has a certain limit, its color will not be golden yellow. Jaundice is mainly distributed in the face and trunk, while the calves, forearms, hands and feet often have no obvious jaundice. If the bilirubin is measured by blood sampling, the peak of jaundice in full-term babies is not more than 12 mg/dl, and in preterm babies, it is not more than 15 mg/dl; (3) the physiological jaundice of full-term babies basically subsides at the end of the 2nd week, and the jaundice of preterm babies generally subsides within the 3rd week; (4) the body temperature of the children is normal, their appetites are good, their weights increase gradually, and the color of the stools and urine is normal. 2, the characteristics of pathological jaundice ① jaundice appears too early: full-term babies in the first 24 hours of life, preterm babies jaundice within 48 hours; ② jaundice is more serious: serum bilirubin more than the average of normal children of the same day of age, or a daily rise of more than 85.5 μmol/L (5mg/dl); ③ jaundice progresses quickly, that is, deepening a lot of a day; ④ jaundice lasts a long time (more than 2 weeks for full-term babies, more than 3 weeks for preterm babies) Jaundice lasts for a long time (more than 2 weeks for full-term babies and more than 3 weeks for preterm babies) or appears again after jaundice subsides; ⑤ Jaundice is accompanied by other clinical symptoms or serum-conjugated bilirubin is more than 25.7 μmol/L (1.5mg/dl). 3.Why the baby’s jaundice can’t go away? ① mother’s prenatal medication: such as giving the mother prenatal application of a large number of oxytocin or vitamin K and so on. ② asphyxia, hypoxia: due to respiratory distress, hypoxia, on the one hand, aggravated acidosis, on the other hand, inhibit the vitality of glucuronosyltransferase, affecting the metabolic process of bilirubin; ③ delivery damage bleeding, so that the bilirubin production increased; ④ post-partum freezing, starvation: this time, the body’s free fatty acids, such as the increase in the number of organic anions, and the competition for bilirubin with bilirubin and albumin, and so that the bilirubin free blood, and the bilirubin free blood. Delayed feeding, delayed excretion of meconium can increase the intestinal and hepatic circulation, so that the non-conjugated bilirubin in the blood increases. In order to prevent neonatal jaundice, the mother should pay attention to dietary hygiene during pregnancy, avoid alcohol and hot and spicy products, and should not abuse drugs. If the mother has a history of jaundice, she can take Jaundice Yin Chen Punch orally. It should be taken from the time of diagnosis to the time of delivery, and the duration of taking the medicine should be more than two months. After the baby is born, it is advisable to closely observe the skin jaundice condition for timely diagnosis and treatment. Is jaundice caused by breastfeeding? Jaundice that occurs in breastfed newborns is called breast milk jaundice, which is a special type of pathological jaundice. In a few breastfed newborns, the degree of jaundice exceeds that of normal physiologic jaundice, and the cause is not well understood. Its jaundice is characterized by: jaundice continues to increase after the peak of physiological jaundice, if breastfeeding is continued, jaundice continues at a high level for a period of time before slowly decreasing, if breastfeeding is stopped for 48 hours, jaundice decreases markedly, and if breastfeeding is resumed, jaundice rises again. As breast milk contains progesterone hormone, it can inhibit the vitality of glucuronosyltransferase in the liver of the newborn, resulting in the bilirubin in the blood not being able to be metabolized and excreted in a timely manner, so the concentration of bilirubin in the blood increases, and the newborn has a yellowish coloration of the skin and sclera. Suggestion: Improve breastfeeding techniques, increase the frequency of breastfeeding, or add formula supplementation, and the jaundice will most likely subside. Allow your baby to take in enough milk and generally nurse at least 8 to 12 times a day for the first few days of life. Can I still breastfeed if I have jaundice? According to the Expert Consensus on Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyperbilirubinemia in Newborns issued by the Chinese Medical Association in October 2014, the recommended management of diagnosed breast milk jaundice (jaundice related to the breast milk itself) is as follows: 1. If the TSB (serum total bilirubin) is <257 μmol/L (15 mg/dl), not only should you continue to breastfeed, but you should also appropriately increase the frequency of feedings. Frequent breastfeeding (8 to 12 times every 24 hours) can reduce breast milk jaundice, because feeding can promote defecation, reduce the absorption of bilirubin, and at the same time should learn the correct posture and breastfeeding methods to accelerate the excretion of bilirubin, so that the baby as soon as possible to reduce the yellow; 2, when the TSB> 257 μmol / L (15 mg / dl), can be suspended for 3 days of breastfeeding, switch to artificial feeding; when the TSB> 342μ When TSB>342μmol/L(20 mg/dl), add phototherapy. The reason for suspending breastfeeding and even adding phototherapy is to bring down the bilirubin level in order to avoid the negative consequences of hyperbilirubinemia. Therefore, if the diagnosis of breast milk jaundice is confirmed, the decision to stop breast milk should be made by drawing peripheral venous blood to determine the serum total bilirubin level. If necessary, the venous blood should be drawn, not just a heartache of the child. Warm tips: because I heard that jaundice will affect the baby’s intellectual development, so many parents will be particularly anxious, always thinking of drugs to quickly let the baby yellow. In fact, adhere to breastfeeding or phototherapy are more effective than drugs! Even if jaundice is caused by breast milk, there is no need to interrupt breastfeeding, unless the index is so high that it needs to be replaced, you can temporarily stop breastfeeding for two days, and then resume breastfeeding after the jaundice subsides.