We have already talked on occasion about the newborn jaundice or physiological jaundice very common in newborns. It is a condition characterized by high levels of bilirubin in the blood that causes a yellowing of the skin and the sclera (white part of the eyes) of the baby from the second or third day of life.
The parents are quite scared believing that our baby may have a liver problem, but it is not due to an alteration in its functioning but to a process that usually occurs in babies, especially in premature babies. It can be a sign of more serious problems when the levels are excessively high.
Babies are born with a large amount of fetal red blood cells, and bilirubin is a yellowish chemical produced during normal recycling of old red blood cells.
When the baby is inside the uterus, it is the mother's liver that is responsible for removing the baby's bilirubin, but once the baby's liver has been born it takes a while to start functioning properly. That is why bilirubin levels in some newborns is high.
To treat it, phototherapy is used, also called bililucent therapy or blue lights. It consists of the exposure of the baby's skin to blue fluorescent lights with the eyes covered so as not to damage them and the child is turned so that he receives the light throughout his body. There are also bilichalecos that are placed on babies without covering their eyes.
The light waves do not cause any damage to the baby's skin, but act by modifying the molecular structure of bilirubin by breaking it down into non-toxic substances that are eliminated by the body through urine and feces.
During the treatment, the baby's vital signs, temperature and responses are monitored at all times. Blood tests are done regularly to check the bilirubin level. When you reach normal numbers, therapy is discontinued.
