Infant jaundice is a common condition in babies, and in fact, around 70% of newborns show some signs of it. Most infant jaundice treatments are simple and can easily be done at home. Only rarely is aggressive treatment of jaundice necessary.
Susun Weed in the Childbearing Year has an excellent section on childhood jaundice and its treatments. I will summarize their excellent suggestions below.
Infant jaundice is a condition that appears as a yellow tint to the whites of babies’ eyes and a yellow tint to the skin that starts on the baby’s head and works its way down to the toes.
Jaundice occurs as a result of the breakdown of extra red blood cells associated with the transition from the fetus receiving oxygen from the placenta to supplying its own oxygen. Bilirubin is a byproduct of this breakdown process, and when reabsorbed and circulated, it stains the skin and eyes yellow.
CAUTION: A bilirubin level of 12 or higher that continues to rise after the third day and a lethargic, dehydrated baby is an indication of pathologic jaundice. This is a condition that could be related to blood group incompatibility or a damaged liver and the help of an experienced professional healer will most likely be needed for effective infant jaundice treatments in this case. If left untreated, this type of childhood jaundice can lead to brain damage.
The other two types of infant jaundice, physiologic jaundice and breast milk jaundice require little or no treatment and will clear up on their own within a few weeks. There are some simple infant jaundice treatments that you can use to help your baby during this time.
The first is to simply breastfeed. Even in the case of breast milk jaundice, your milk helps with the buildup of gut bacteria that help with the binding and excretion of broken down red blood cells. Also, the extra protein in milk protects the brain from damage while the bilirubin level is high.
Sunlight will also help break down the bilirubin. Therefore, another effective treatment for infant jaundice is to undress your baby and, while shielding his eyes, give him an early morning sunbath or afternoon sun for five minutes.
If she is breastfeeding, the mother can also drink herbal teas from one of several herbs as a treatment for infant jaundice. The baby will then receive the benefits of the herbs through breast milk. Recommended herbs to try are catnip, comfrey leaf, liverwort, or dandelion root.
The standard ratio for infusions is one ounce of dried herb to one liter of water and this infusion is allowed to steep for at least four hours before straining and drinking. Dandelion root tea is sure to be bitter, and Susun Weed recommends adding salt to make it a more tolerable drink.
Cheladonium 3x is the recommended homeopathic treatment for childhood jaundice. Be sure to only use this homeopathically, not in herbal form.
Breast milk jaundice is very rare and its symptoms include yellow skin and eyes, a bilirubin level of up to 20, and an active nursing baby. Steroids in breast milk are thought to sometimes inhibit the enzymes that break down red blood cells. This type of jaundice can last up to two months.
As long as your baby is active and nursing heavily, there is no need to worry too much, and you definitely DO NOT NEED TO STOP BREASTFEEDING. This condition will resolve on its own without switching to formula, and the removal of the intimacy of nursing can complicate the baby’s jaundice.
If you suspect breast milk jaundice, you can stop breastfeeding for a short time (no more than 48 hours) to see if the bilirubin level drops without breast milk. This is not a recommended treatment for infant jaundice, but rather a test to determine if this is what you are treating.
Treat breast milk jaundice with the infant jaundice treatments described above or try increasing enzyme activity in your baby’s liver and intestines with fresh wheatgrass juice. Give baby up to 20 drops a day or pass through the milk by drinking up to two ounces a day.
So, if your baby shows the common symptoms of yellow-tinged skin and eyes, rule out pathological jaundice first, and then take a deep breath and relax, knowing that the only real treatment needed for infant jaundice is the measures you choose to support your baby. your baby while he/she breaks down and processes those extra red blood cells.