TV Show Excerpt - Jaundice

The following excerpt is from the original transcript of the Kids Healthworks television series, episode 108.

WENDY RUTLEDGE (HOST)
When George and Rosy Douglas had their first child Johnny, they couldn't have been more happy. It was a difficult labor and cesarean section delivery, but when it was over, they had a healthy nine pound little boy. But a day after Johnny was born, when their pediatrician told them Johnny had jaundice, they were both a little worried.

ROSY DOUGLAS
(MOTHER)
A friend had a little boy and he had jaundice too, and he was in the hospital for a week. So that was really concerning after hearing that story.

HOST
Jaundice occurs when the red blood cells in the body are broken down too quickly for the baby's liver to handle it. As the red blood cells die, the oxygen carrying hemoglobin contained in them is converted to a yellow substance called bilirubin. It's this high bilirubin level that causes jaundice.

M. JEFFERY MAISELS, MD, FAAP
WILLIAM BEAUMONT HOSPITAL
When it gets high, it can get into the brain and for reasons that we don't fully understand, it can stay in the brain, and when it does that it can be toxic to the brain cells. It can actually cause damage.

HOST
Sixty percent of newborns in the United States become clinically jaundiced. In Johnny's case, as with many cases of jaundice in newborns, the pediatrician recommended that Johnny be placed in a special bed under florescent lights designed to convert the bilirubin into a form easier for his liver to eliminate.

GEORGE DOUGLAS
(FATHER)
They rolled in the machine and all these lights and they were setting it up, yeah, it was kind of unnerving. But once he was in there it was fine.

HOST
And for Johnny, that was the end of the story. His bilirubin level dropped, and his pediatrician continued to monitor him for about 3 weeks. That care and concern obviously paid off.

ROSY DOUGLAS
He's doing great. He has no issues about that anymore. He's growing and he's healthy, thank God, and he's doing wonderful.

HOST
Since bilirubin usually develops between 36 to 72 hours after a baby is born, it's important that parents stay in contact with their pediatrician in the early days after birth to check their babies for signs of jaundice

Doctor: He's ready to go home tomorrow, and he's now 36 hours old, looks like your nursing is going well. You've been nursing him eight to ten times a day, that's perfect, that's exactly what we want. Now we did check his jaundice level, his bilirubin level, and I just want to show you what I want you to keep an eye out for. If you press his nose, he looks just a little tiny bit yellow, you can almost not see it. There's just a little bit of a yellow tinge when you press his nose like that. And when you get home, if you see the color going down like that on his body you need to let us know.

HOST
What parents and caregivers should look for, especially in babies who are less than 40 weeks gestation are: signs of jaundice in the face or chest; if the baby seems lethargic; or if the baby is not feeding well. This situation should be carefully monitored by the pediatrician. As George and Rosy found out with Johnny, who is now 14 months old, having a pediatrician help you through the experience works wonders for your peace of mind.

GEORGE DOUGLAS
It's always great when you have a professional tell you not to worry, this is common among infants, and they give you a procedure to follow and you follow it. It's very comforting.

WENDY RUTLEDGE (HOST)
Remember, since jaundice doesn't often show up until after the baby leaves the hospital, parents and caregivers should stay in close contact with their pediatrician in the first several days after a baby is born.