- Jaundice: Another name you might hear is "hyperbilirubinemia." This is a very common problem that premature, and even some term infants, have during the first 1-2 weeks of their life. Jaundice occurs when there is higher levels of bilirubin in your baby's blood than is normal. Your baby's skin will likely have a yellowish color to it. Your baby's medical team will order a blood test to see how much bilirubin is in your baby's blood and whether they need treatment.
- Treatment: This is typically treated with something called phototherapy. This can happen in 2 ways, either placing your baby on a "biliblanket" which is a rectangular blue pad that when turned on lights up blue, or blue lights on stands that can be placed so that they are shining down from above on your baby. You baby will have little eye masks on to protect them from the light. This light is not harmful (it is not ultraviolet or UV rays like those that are in tanning salons or from the sun). These special lights only have a certain wavelength of light which is the exact wavelength needed to breakdown the bilirubin so that your baby can poop it out.
- How will I know if my baby's bilirubin level decreases and is normal? Your baby's medical team may recheck the bilirubin level several times to make sure that the phototherapy is working. Some premature babies will need repeated treatments with phototherapy before their body is able to handle the bilirubin on their own.
- Where does bilirubin come from? The red blood cells in our bodies are made up of several things, one of which is something called hemoglobin. When the red blood cells breakdown (which is a normal process as your body constantly makes new red blood cells), this hemoglobin is released into the blood where is it taken to the liver and turned into bilirubin. Normally, you would then get rid of this bilirubin in your poop. However, premature infants often have trouble pooping regularly after they are first born which contributes to them having jaundice (or hyperbilirubinemia) and possibly needing treatment.