Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin caused by a build up of bilirubin in the bloodstream. Infants typically experience slight jaundice after birth with no long-term risks. However, severe cases of jaundice require medical intervention. Left untreated, jaundice can cause cerebral palsy, brain damage or deafness. Learn to use a Biliblanket to break down excess bilirubin in your infant.

Instructions

1

Familiarize yourself with the Biliblanket and its various parts. The fiber-optic pad is the part that goes directly on the infant's skin. The light generating box produces the phototherapy light and should be placed on a flat surface. The connector cable joins the two parts and should be free of defects.

2

Double-check with your pediatrician how long and how often your infant should be under the Biliblanket. The severity of the jaundice will be the determining factor.

3

Remove the infant's clothes except for the diaper and wrap him in the Biliblanket. You can rock, nurse or bottle feed while he is under the Biliblanket.

4

Cover the infant's eyes to avoid exposure to the light. Use the cloth eye pads or eye coverings your hospital or physician can provide.

Jaundice is very common in newborn babies, as half of all newborns end up developing some level of jaundice. The symptoms of jaundice are clearly visible and cause yellowing of both the skin and eyes. Jaundice is a disease that indicates that a baby's liver isn't mature enough to metabolize a molecule called bilirubin. Newborns who are unable to recycle bilirubin will develop jaundice.

Premature Birth

A premature newborn has a risk for jaundice, as newborns who are born early are not always able to process bilirubin as well as a full-term newborn. A premature newborn will eat less than a full-term newborn, and have fewer bowl movements.This will result in a limited amount of bilirubin passing through a newborn's system through the baby's stools.

Breastfeeding

Although breastfeeding is much more healthy for a baby than bottle feeding, it does cause a higher risk for jaundice, especially for those infants who are having trouble latching on and taking in enough milk. This will keep a baby from getting the right amount of nutrition, causing jaundice.

Blood Type

Mothers who have a different blood type than their newborn can also contribute to a newborn getting jaundice. This ultimately causes the placenta to transfer antibodies to the unborn baby, which causes the newborn's blood cells to break down faster, resulting in jaundice.

Mongolian spots are bluish-black, flat birthmarks in irregular shapes that occur mostly in infants of Indian, African and Latino heritage. Mongolian spots can be seen on various parts of the body of newborns. Sometimes infants are born with Mongolian spots, or the spots appear shortly after birth.

Instructions

1

Note that Mongolian spots usually fade within a few years and are typically gone by puberty. Occasionally, they remain into adulthood, but there is no need for treatment to make them fade or disappear.

2

Recognize Mongolian birthmark spots on infants as flat dark brown, dark gray or blue-black spots. They commonly appear on an infant's buttocks, lower back, shoulders, legs and sides. They can range from very small spots to large areas of deep, dark areas of skin.

3

Realize that Mongolian spots are benign markings and carry no complications or risk factors. They are birthmarks and are not associated with any disease or illness.

4

Be aware that Mongolian spots are easily mistaken for bruises and may trigger child abuse accusations. Make sure the child's pediatrician documents the Mongolian spots and includes detailed information in the child's health records.

5

Understand that Mongolian spots are non-cancerous. They do not require treatment, and they cannot be prevented. They are not related to bruises or any additional medical problems. Further complications from Mongolian spots do not appear later in life.

Jaundice in newborns is common. It occurs to almost every baby in the first few days of life. Jaundice is not a disease. It refers to the color of the skin or white parts of the eyes called the sclera. Babies of all races develop jaundice though it is harder to see it in darker skinned infants. The best way to check the color is in bright sunlight or under fluorescent lighting. Unless you have seen many, many jaundiced babies, it is not that easy to spot. If someone comments that your baby has "a beautiful skin color" it is wise to ask if he is jaundiced. Mild jaundice is not harmful.

Causes

Jaundice is the result of elevated levels of bilirubin in the infant's blood. This is a normal finding and due to the baby having to process her own bilirubin for the first time. Before birth, her mother's liver did it for her and her own immature liver is just beginning to take over. A baby who has a great deal of bruising from delivery or had a vacuum extraction will likely have higher levels of bilirubin. There are some rare metabolic diseases that cause elevated bilirubin levels and those babies are usually markedly jaundiced before 24 hours of age.

Testing

Your baby will have a blood test for bilirubin levels at 24 hours and at 48 to 72 hours. If you and your baby are discharged from the hospital prior to 72 hours, the pediatrician or nurse practitioner will want to see him within two days to repeat the test. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this practice and it is performed in nearly every hospital in the United States. Without screening, elevated bilirubin levels that go undiscovered may lead to a dangerous neurological condition called Kernicterus. Fortunately, this is rare.

Management

Usually, no treatment is required. For all babies, it is important to keep the infant well hydrated, see that he is breastfeeding or bottle feeding well and having plenty of wet and soiled diapers. In the case of an elevated bilirubin outside the accepted range, phototherapy may be required. There are several ways to do this. In one situation, the infant lies in an isolette with ultraviolet lights on. It looks very much like she is lying in a tanning bed especially since she will be wearing eye shields. There are also phototherapy lamps and blankets, which may be used. The doctor will order the method that is right for your baby's bilirubin level. Hydration is especially important under phototherapy.

When to Call the Doctor

Once you are home, it is important to call your infant's doctor if he appears more jaundiced especially on his legs, arms or belly. If the whites of his eyes are yellow, it warrants a call as well. Breastfed babies are statistically more likely to become jaundiced although no one knows for sure why. Breast or bottle fed, if your baby is not feeding well or becomes especially sleepy, call the doctor.

Misconceptions

Newborns have always been jaundiced and have mostly done fine. For a period of time, routine bilirubin testing was discontinued and more babies developed consequences of very high bilirubins that were not treated. It is never adequate treatment to place a jaundiced baby by a sunny window. Newborns who are jaundiced because they have elevated bilirubins need to be managed by their doctors or nurse practitioners to prevent damage and disability.

Developmental disabilities encompass a large group of issues that children and adults face; they are defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a "diverse group of severe chronic conditions that are due to mental and/or physical impairments." Many disabilities fall under this umbrella, and they usually result in a permanent disability the child must live with all of his life. They must be diagnosed during the child's developmental period. Children with these disabilities may lead relatively normal lives, requiring little to no intervention, while some may require extensive intervention and accommodation.

Definition

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists developmental disabilities as those that fall under fall under one of a few categories, including the autism spectrum (which includes all levels of functioning within autism), cerebral palsy (a disability affecting the use of muscles), hearing loss, visual impairments, degenerative disorders (such as muscular dystrophy in which muscles gradually lose their use) and intellectual disability (any disease or condition that slows down the child's brain development, such as Down syndrome or Fragile X syndrome). These diseases or disabilities must be diagnosed during development, from infancy to 21 years of age.

Types

The Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Study (MADDS), the first major study on the prevalence of developmental disabilities in children, created criteria for each developmental delay. This criteria says an intellectual disability is classified as testing an IQ (intelligence quotient) of less than 70. Cerebral palsy is qualified by MADDS as: "The impairment of motor function may result in paresis, involuntary movement, or incoordination." Motor disorders are classified as "disorders that result from progressive diseases of the brain, and motor disorders due to spinal cord abnormalities or injuries are not included." Hearing loss must average 40 decibels or worse, vision impairment much be 20/200 or worse vision with correction. Those with epilepsy must have suffered from two grand mal seizures in their lifetime in order to be considered a developmental disability by MADDS.

Statistics

According to MADDS, 10 percent of school-age children suffer from a developmental disability. Because of the range of the disabilities, it is difficult to pin down exact numbers, however wrongdiagnosis.com estimates that 5,000 children with Down syndrome are born each year (attributed to Association for Children with Down Syndrome) and one in 500 people suffer from autism (statistic attributed to the National Institute of Mental Health), which is almost always diagnosed during the developmental period. Dr. Spock estimates that most autistic children are diagnosed between the ages of two and three.

Prevention

Although many developmental disabilities cannot be prevented, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that jaundice/kernicterus, which can lead to brain damage in newborns, is preventable. If you suspect your baby has jaundice, early intervention can prevent developmental disabilities. In addition, education programs about the use of drugs and alcohol during pregnancy can help further prevent developmental disabilities caused by the use of such substances. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommend early screening by a health care professional in order to make the most of early detection and intervention. However, many developmental disabilities cannot be prevented because there is no known cause for the disability (as in autism), or the disability is hereditary (with Down syndrome).

Defining Disabilities to Your Students

If you have a student who has been integrated into a non-special education classroom and has a developmental disability, it is a good idea to keep the lines of communication open between you, his parents, his doctors and the other students in his class. Some students with developmental disabilities may want the class to know ahead of time so they can be prepared to deal with the difficulties of his illness, while others may want to "slip by" unnoticed. Talk to the student with the developmental disability and get his take on it. Do not choose to tell or not tell your class without consulting your student and his family first.

The cognitive development of an infant child is the first step in creating the foundations of learning language, memory, reasoning and thinking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, during the critical stage of an infant's life, up until one year of age, he is learning how to bond with his parents or with a caretaker. There are certain illnesses that may negatively affect the cognitive development in infants.

Warning Signs

When a baby is a year old he should be able to display responses to easy spoken requests, hit two objects together, find pleasure in copying people, and sit up with out help, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When an infant is not able to exhibit these behaviors by the age of one, he has a development delay. Developmental screening (observing the baby's behavior) should be performed by a doctor or nurse to assess the situation and possibly link it to a certain cause. It is important to find the source of the problem early on, and prevent it from getting worse, in cases where it can be helped.

Behavioral Disabilities

There are several behavioral disabilities that affect a baby's ability to develop properly.

Autistic Disorder, more commonly known as autism, causes people to process information very differently than others. It may lead to problems with language development, uncommon behaviors and social issues. Autism varies in its degree of severity. One of the early signs of autism is when an infant does not react to her name after a year.

Intellectual Disability causes significant delays in a child's development, stunting her cognitive development very early in life. Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, genetic conditions and birth defects are causes for intellectual disability.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) leads to difficulty in focusing, rash behavior and excessive activity. Brain damage, early delivery and alcohol and tobacco intake by the mother during pregnancy are some of the possible causes for ADHD.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy affects the ability to move muscles effectively. An infant under three months who has trouble managing the movement of his head when he is picked up, and legs that cross in a scissor pattern, are signs that the baby may have cerebral palsy. Brain damage or development difficulties may cause cerebral palsy.

Vision Loss

Vision loss may occur in rare cases, from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), the scarring of the retina. Premature babies are at high risk for ROP, states Dr. Gary Heitling in optometry. An infant with vision loss will have delays in cognitive development, because the infant won't be able to associate words with people or objects.

Hearing Loss

Hearing loss may occur temporarily from an ear infection, which causes the build-up of fluids in the ears. If an infant is not able to hear for periods of time, it will impair their ability to start understanding the beginnings of language, part of their cognitive development. Measles, meningitis (an infection of fluid close to the spinal cord and brain), and kernicterus (brain damage) may lead to hearing impairment. All these can be prevented or helped with vaccines and certain therapies.

Although jaundice is common in newborns, it can also affect adults who lead unhealthy lifestyles. Jaundice occurs when your liver is incapable of removing bilirubin from your body. The bilirubin builds up in your liver and causes your skin and eyes to take on a yellow tinge (Reference 2). Following a healthy diet and avoiding factors that can lead to liver disease may help prevent jaundice. If you develop jaundice, though, contact your health professional.

Foods to Eat

According to ayurvediccure.com, fruits can help prevent jaundice, as they help to cleanse the body of toxins. Regularly incorporate pears, apples, grapes and pineapples into your diet. Also, citrus fruits such as oranges help prevent the production of bilirubin (Reference 1).

If you already have jaundice, ayurvediccure.com recommends that you do a juice fast. During the fast, consume nothing but fruit juice until your jaundice subsides. Then, eat only fruit for at least three days. Once you start to eat other foods, consume a piece of fruit with every meal (Reference 1). A juice fast can also be undertaken if you have a history of recurring jaundice.

Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. This will flush toxins that lead to jaundice out of your system. Coconut juice and barley water also help eliminate toxins from your body (Reference 1).

A healthy diet filled with green leafy vegetables can help prevent jaundice. If you do not care for vegetables, drink vegetable juice (Reference 1). Regular exercise and sleep enhance the effects of a healthy diet (Reference 2).

Foods to Avoid

In some cases, alcohol consumption causes jaundice, as this damages the liver. If you have liver damage, you need to stop consuming alcohol immediately; otherwise you may require liver surgery (Reference 2).

Excessive amounts of caffeine and sugar can affect your liver and cause jaundice. Limit your intake of soda, tea, coffee and other beverages that contain caffeine or artificial sweeteners (Reference 1).

Processed foods, saturated fat and fried foods can stress your liver, possibly leading to jaundice. Eat whole foods whenever possible and limit fatty meats. According to ayurvediccure.com, a diet high in meats disrupts your digestive system, thus decreasing your body's ability to remove toxins (Reference 1).

Legumes and pulses should be limited, as they also disrupt your digestive system (Reference 1).