Infant Jaundice And Sunlight

The light amplifies the effects of sunlight to help break up the bilirubin into molecules that are easily excreted from the body.

Infant jaundice and sunlight.

Make sure the temperature in your home is comfortable and not too cold for your baby. Often physiologic jaundice the type seen in most newborns does not require aggressive treatment. Newborn jaundice can be treated with filtered sunlight providing a safe inexpensive low tech solution to a health problem that now causes permanent brain damage or death in more than 150 000 babies in developing countries each year. Position your glider or chair near a window so the baby gets some natural light while feeding burping or just laying with you.

When jaundice in newborn babies becomes more severe and more intensive interventions are necessary the most common treatment is phototherapy where the jaundiced baby is placed under an artificial blue light. By far the best way to treat simple uncomplicated newborn jaundice is by exposing your infant to filtered sunlight either through a polarized window or shade in your home or by taking him outside in a covered stroller for five minutes twice daily. It will typically disappear in a few days with frequent feedings and exposure to indirect. Treatment can prevent the harmful effects of jaundice.

Sunlight is one of the best ways to remove jaundice from a newborn baby. In some babies supplementing breast milk with formula can also help to lower the bilirubin level and prevent the need for phototherapy.