Myths, facts about jaundice

A large percentage of breastfeeding mothers are ignorant about jaundice. MOTUNRAYO JOEL writes that health experts warn on the need for more awareness

Jaundice, a common condition in new born infants, is a term used to describe the yellow colouring of the skin and the  eyes.

Although it is a temporary and usually harmless condition in new-born infants, parents with jaundiced babies usually face some challenges during this period.

The story of Mrs. Olufemi Adesanya clearly portrays this common scenario.

Speaking with SUNDAY PUNCH, the mother of three said, “I passed through hell and came out alive. This was because all her three children were diagnosed with the condition at birth.

She stated, “My first child was diagnosed with jaundice after his birth. At that time, I wasn’t too familiar with the disease. I just noticed that the colour of his skin had changed and he was no longer sucking breast properly. When I reported to a paediatrician, he confirmed that my baby had jaundice and that he would need blood transfusion. However, after being placed under a fluorescent light for six days, he became normal and we didn’t need to do the blood transfusion again. But it wasn’t so easy for me.

“There were days I would cry for hours. It’s hard seeing your baby in any form of discomfort. I could only spend few hours with him within the six days of phototherapy. Sometimes I wanted to hold him, but I couldn’t.”

Adesanya had the same experience with her second and third child.

“My husband’s blood type is O Negative while I’m O Positive. I was informed that if any parent is O Negative, the tendency of them having a baby with jaundice was high. Though, my mother-in-law kept telling me that the reason why all my children had jaundice was because I didn’t take agbo (herb) during their pregnancies. But deep within me, I knew that it was a myth.”

A day after Adesanya had her third baby, she said she noticed her baby had a temperature and wasn’t feeding well. She took him to a hospital and after the doctor ran some tests, he realised the baby’s temperature was so high as a result of the jaundice.

“I started crying, and begged the doctors to save my baby. I think I almost lost control of my mind. My world fell apart when the doctor informed me that the hospital didn’t have the equipment to conduct phototherapy. I got to the hospital around 8am and we didn’t leave until 7pm when they transferred my baby to a private hospital at FESTAC town.

“Having three children with jaundice is not a joke.”

Advising mothers, Adesanya said any mother who finds herself in that position should be proactive about dealing with the condition.

She said, “When a mother is proactive towards the condition, it won’t kill her child. But once she lets fear overtake her, she becomes confused and may even lose hope. Mothers should also avoid visiting chemists or pharmacies whenever their baby isn’t feeling too good. Go straight to a paediatrician in any hospital.”

Various research studies on jaundice show that the disease occurs when there is a build-up of a naturally occurring substance called bilirubin in the blood and tissues of the body. Jaundice affects both full-term and premature babies, usually appearing during the first week of the baby’s life.

According to webmd.com, bilirubin is an orange/red pigment in the blood. It is produced by the normal breakdown of red blood cells. “It is normal for everyone to have low levels of bilirubin in their blood. As bilirubin begins to build up, it deposits on the fatty tissue under the skin causing the baby’s skin and whites of the baby’s eyes to appear yellow.”

However, there is a superstition widely held in some parts of Nigeria that new born babies are likely to develop jaundice if clothed with yellow cloth.

However, a paediatrician at Hilton Hospital, Olodi Apapa, Dr. Ephraim Aziagba, discarded the myth. “This is false. There is no scientific evidence to prove it. I believe this is one of those myths our forefathers believed,” he told SUNDAY PUNCH.

Giving a brief decsription on types of jaundice, Aziagba said, “Neonatal jaundice occurs in new born babies. Under it, we have pathological and physiological jaundice. Pathological is caused by severe neonatal infections, certain congenital liver problems and in-borm deficiencies. Physiological jaundice, on the other hand, is triggered by the immaturity of the neonatal liver.”

Aziagba also  said most neonatal jaundice was physiological; due to immaturity of the neonatal liver.

Although he noted that people were slowly becoming more enlightened about jaundice, Aziagba called on the government to strengthen its awareness programmes about the condition.

“People in some rural areas and some parts of the country are still ignorant due to poor public health awareness campaign programmes. Such programmes will help reduce the number of babies that die from jaundice,” he said.

Research also shows that the condition is more likely to occur in babies who lost a lot of weight right after delivery, babies who have diabetic mothers, and those who are born through induced labour.

Bilirubin levels also tend to be higher in breastfed babies than in bottle-fed babies and may stay longer (as long as six weeks).  Doctors often advise that babies should be breastfed in the first hour after birth to reduce bilirubin levels.

According to mayoclinic.com, diseases or conditions that cause jaundice include: Internal bleeding (haemorrhage), an infection in a baby’s blood (sepsis), other viral or bacterial infections, an incompatibility between the mother’s blood and the baby’s blood, a liver malfunction, an enzyme deficiency and an abnormality of a baby’s red blood cells

The first sign of jaundice is the yellowing of a baby’s skin and eyes. And as bilirubin levels increase, the yellow colour becomes evident on the rest of the body. If the bilirubin is severely elevated, symptoms may include poor feeding and lethargy.

Experts also say most of the time, no treatment is needed for jaundice, because it usually goes away on its own. However, breast-feeding mothers may be able to help reduce jaundice by feeding their babies about eight to 12 times a day.

The Founder of Anu Dofekun Foundation, Mrs. Efunbo Dofekun, acknowledged that a large percentage of mothers are ignorant about the disease, hence the need for the government to strengthen its campaign programmes.

She said, “Severe jaundice can damage a baby’s brain, which is deadly. The government needs to create more awareness about the disease. One area the government should work on is health care personnel. There should be health care personnel in every government hospital whose duty will be to check for jaundice in babies a day after they are born.

“The government should also improve on its neonatal care. This sector is as important as antenatal care. For example, a large percentage of government hospitals don’t have enough beds for babies.  Even during antenatal, mothers should be educated about the disease. This would go a long way in reducing the number of babies that die as a result of the disease.”

Punch