Newborn with Jaundice Due to Breastfeeding

This happened to me and I was so sad to not be able to breastfeed. Before you do anything, contact a lactation consultant. Usually you can get some free advice from the one at the hospital. I supplemented with formula for a few feedings, pumped, and was able to continue breastfeeding with no problems...for 2 years! Good luck!

M.:

My daughter was jaundice....just put her in the carseat and put her in indirect sunlight for a several minutes per day. I did that per my doctors orders and she was better in just a couple of days.

K.

My son was under the lights at home and he also spent a lot of time outside but I did not stop breast feeding him. He was fine in a week. But he was born in July and it was a lot warmer outside.

S.

I have heard the exact opposite. I have 3 kids, 2 of which had jaundice and all the docs even the nicu said that breastfeeding is the best way to get the bilirubin out of their system as well as putting them in indirect sunlight at various times during the day. In my opinion, DO NOT stop breastfeeding there is not reason to discontinue it, it's the best thing you can do for the jaundice. Maybe you heard this from some first year resident or something but I wouldn't follow this advice, just my opinion. Good luck and I hope the jaundice supsides soon. Oh, and the more they poop the quicker it gets out of their system too so nurse away!
J.

Do NOT stop breastfeeding due to the jaundice if what you want is to continue your breastfeeding relationship! Not only will the 24-48 hour "break" from breastmilk hurt your nursing relationship and your supply, it will not clear up the jaundice if continuing to breastfeed would also not have cleared it up.
As long as your baby is not lethargic, has 5-6 wet (disposable) diapers per day with clear/pale yellow pee, bowel movements, and is getting both fore and hind milk at the nursing sessions, you can generally breathe a sigh of relief. For more information and concerns, contact an LLL near you. Free consultation by phone, and so helpful. You can look up local groups at: www.llli.org

Hi M.,

My little one had jaundice in the hospital too. (I couldn't nurse once we got home because of medication for complications). But, our ped suggested letting her nap in front of a window to get exposure to sunlight without having to get the UVA/UVB exposure. That had it cleared up in a day or two.

Good luck!

Yes I had the same experience. When my daughter was born whe jandiced and they put her on home health bilirubin lights so she would still be with me...she eventually got better, but at that time no one mentioned the breastfeeding connection. When my son was born 4 years later, again he jaundiced and we started with "sun light" when there was no change my pediatrician suggested the breast mild connection given my daughters history, so we fed him with formula for about 24-48 hours and it worked, I pumped during those 2 days...got more sleep too...and afterwords he went on to happily nurse as a matter of fact for over 3 years.

My third son was jaundiced and in the hospital under the lights for 48 hours -- I had him out every hour to nurse him. They wanted me to formula feed because they said it was the breast milk that slowed the jaundice from exiting the body. However, I firmly believed breast milk to be the best thing for my son and all was fine. He is four and perfectly healthy. My sister too just had a baby and within 24 hours of her birth they had her baby under the lights. She was brought the baby every 3 hours to be breast fed and they alternated with the formula. Within 5 days her levels were where they needed to be. My sister's baby is a "coons" baby whereby the mother and father have opposing blood types -- which causes the levels to peak 72-96 hours after birth. All babies apparently are born with some level of jaundice -- it was my experience to continue to nurse and not formula feed. My sister's choice was to alternate. Do what is best for you and either way trust your instincts -- your baby will be fine either way. Good luck and congratulations!

My son was jaundice when he was born b/c his liver was not fully developed. He had to be on special formula for a little while, but then I was able to breast feed after a few weeks. I pumped close to his feeding schedule to keep milk production available. I was also advised by the doctor to try to sit in the son by a window to allow natural vitamin D while feeding, this was to help with the jaundice.
Hope this helps.

My daughter had jaundice when she was born as well. This is something you need to deal with, if the numbers go up too high it can cause real problems. Google it!

Have they sent the lights home with you? They sent out a home health nurse to give us a light that wrapped around my baby and she wore that for a few days to a week (I can't remember now, she's 8). The Dr. suggested that I stop nursing for a few days, but in the end I did not nead to. One thing I suggest is that if they give you the wrap around light be sure to get a picture of her wearing it at night, it is the most unusual thing! Also having her in the natural sun light is good. I would strip her down to her diaper and lay her in the sun.....in a window since she was born in February!

I did nurse her for a long time and also had to work. I was most fortunate that she would nurse with me and take a bottle from child care (breast milk or formula if I could not pump enough). The biggest thing is that if you stop nursing for a couple of days you do not give her the bottle, have your husband or someone else feed her. My daugther would never take a bottle from me. I would conact LaLeche Leauge also, they are a wealth of information!

Good luck and God bless!

My son was BF jaundiced for about 6-8 weeks (he was like George Hamilton in pictures). My doc did not recommend that I stop breastfeeding. She said it would go away on its own and it did. Look it up at www.kellymom.com for more information. A very helpful BFing website. Good luck! (oh - and the sunshine thing too also seemed to help. we would set him up in our front sunroom in just his diaper for 30 minutes - if it was nice out we'd sit outside for about 10 minutes so he could get some sun. that is supposed to help get it out too.)

Just wanted to throw in my two cents. My baby got jaundiced within the first few days of birth and it was very scary and awful to sit through those dang pin pricks. I wanted to die. I was breastfeeding but that is not the cause as you already know. (I also had a totally natural birth so it had nothing to do with drugs). It was because he was falling to sleep before he was done feeding so he wasn't really pooping enough to get the bilirubin out. The bilirubin actually makes them sleepy too so it's like a vicious cycle. Also it they are having trouble latching on which is common in the beginning too. I had to put my little one in the hospital under the lights cause his count was so high. I supplemented with formula at the insistence of the nurses but I kept breastfeeding and stayed with him the entire time. In the end everything was okay and baby had a suntan, kept breastfeeding and in the end wouldn't take a bottle at all. Good luck to you and your baby! Sounds like all is on the road to recovery.

That is really odd that your doctor said to stop breastfeeding! When my son was jaundiced, I was told that the best thing to do is breastfeed as much as possible so their system adjusts and is able to get rid of the bilirubin as quickly as possible. Around day 10 the levels are supposed to be at their highest, so after then, you should see a decrease in your baby's levels. My son got up to 19.4 and then naturally his levels decreased and he was absolutely fine - without any lights or interference except a lot of breastfeeding and some sunlight. I wouldn't worry too much - this is totally normal and your baby will be fine! :)

Sunlight! Sit in the window w/ baby w/ as much skin as exposed as comfortable.

same exact thing happend to me. my peds dr said to it was because of the feedings and my ob told me he was nuts. go figure. everyone has there own opinions. i breastfeed with like every 3rd feeding and pumped the other times. that got me through the 2 days. and the baby was fine. open the windows and doors and let as much natural light in. it works the same way as the bili lights in the hospital. hope everything works out ok.

Good Morning M.,
I had a very similar experience with my 1st child-now almost 10 yrs.old!I stopped breastfeeding for 2 days. For that 1 or 2 days I just pumped and saved up the breast milk (handy for later anyways). I gave her the powdered formula-Dr. said it would be easire on her stomach. It was. Her bili level dropped after that. I went back to nursing her just fine after. It will be OK. She did breastfeed after that, but always preferred the bottle.
I am a Stay-At-Home mom to 2 beautiful girls. 8 and 9 1/2yrs. I volunteer alot. I have a great husband who works 2 jobs, coaches soccer, and heads up our Brownie Troop!

You've gotten a lot of responses already...just wanted to throw in what worked for us as well. My first son was 5 weeks early and had jaundice relatively high. I panicked when he was losing weight because he wasn't awake enough to eat and went straight to bottle just to see how much he was taking. I'm SOOOO thankful that I talked to my sister right then who encouraged me NOT to stop breastfeeding, though I was panicked about the kid losing weight/starving. I then pumped as much as I could and fed pumped milk to him (tiring time of constant pumping/feeding, but well worth it!). That way I could continue nursing (and did well past the jaundice stage until after a year old) and still see how many ounces he was getting. It was a scary week, but thankfully just a week to get back on track!! The main thing that brought the billirubin down was sunning him in the window. We put him in the baby bouncer in the sunlight from the window with an infant cap on his head over his eyes to protect his eyes and otherwise just the diaper on. It worked!! Came down over the week with just sunning him as much as possible and throughout the week we had to bring him in to the hospital daily for a billirubin check/heel prick. The first time was aweful with the baby screaming and I couldn't stand to go back, so my husband took him each day after that first time and said each day after was 100 times easier...the first day was just not a good day with getting the blood to flow to collect it they said. So that's what worked for us...all in all I stopped nursing for 24 hours about before talking to my sister and then nursed and pumped like crazy when I went back to it and supply was just fine and he adjusted just fine. My GUESS as to why they suggested to stop breastfeeding is not because formula could help in any way as I too am sure that it would not have anything to do with it, but rather that's the easy way to tell how much the baby is taking in, so I'd suggest pumping and feeding breastmilk as opposed to just skipping to formula. Doctors often go toward "easy" as opposed to "best" option it sure seems. Hang in there!!! Scary time in the midst of it as I remember but for a short time at least!

My preemie also had jaundice, and we stayed an extra day in the hospital too (he was 5 1/2 weeks early). We also had a light paddle at home for the rest of the first week that wrapped around his belly and plugged into the wall (delivered by home health, same blue light as what he had in the hospital). My pediatrician asked me not to breastfeed until the end of the next week, so I pumped around the clock (every 3 hours) and bottle fed him. Breastfeeding him was never easy, for the whole 6 months I did it, and I don't know if it's because those first couple of weeks are crucial or what the cause was. But I think if it's only 24-48 hours that you have to abstain, you will be ok - just pump & bottle feed then start nursing her again as soon as you can. I think the idea is that you need to be sure she's getting enough food during this time, and by bottle feeding, you can monitor her intake. Hope that helps!

What I had to do is nurse, nurse, nurse...and suplement at least an ounce of formula at each feeding. We work with a lactation consultant and they taught us to give the formula from a little cup (like a medicine cup) so that she wouldn't have any nipple confusion.
I would nurse her and then my husband would take her and give her the little cup with forumla in it, he would put it up to her lips and tip it just enough that she could "lap" the milk with her tounge.
Because you aren't usually making much milk at the beginning sometimes they need extra food/liquid to help get rid of the jaundice
Please talk to a lactation consultant, I don't think you need to stop breastfeeding, but you may need to suplement.

Do NOT let them make you stop breastfeeding your baby. This is a critical time for you and for her to establish your breastfeeding relationship and for both of you to get the hang of it. It also is important to fine-tune your milk supply. Breastfeeding does not "cause" jaundice, but it can delay it from being resolved (some kind of enzyme messes with things). My 6-week-old son was jaundiced as well, and we were able to wait it out. If the bilirubin levels are not dangerously high, a combination of time and sun exposure should take care of it. Our pediatrician also said babies "poop it out," so that's another reason why you should continue to breasfeed your daughter.

I have never heard of such a thing. Breastfeeding is supposed to be the best food for your child. I think I'd maybe get a second opinion if I were you. I breastfed my daughter for almost 18 months and the thought of giving her formula made me sick.

Good luck!

Hello...this same thing happened with my 2nd daughter. I was afraid of the same things you are. I was heartbroken...but it all turned out fine. Just keep pumping while the baby goes to formula (or 1/2 formula, 1/2 breastmilk if your Dr. says this is okay) for a couple of days, then switch back (you may want to do 1/2 & 1/2 for a day or two after rather than switching from all formula back to all breastmilk. Your supply will be fine, and your baby will nurse again....they WANT to nurse by nature, so don't worry. Just make sure you pump every 3 hours during the time you aren't nursing to keep your supply flowing! Good luck, S.

The advice your doctor gave doesn't make sense to me. Are you on any medication that he is worried is getting to the baby and causing the jaundice? Or did he say that your milk supply is too low and the baby's not getting enough fluid? If there's no reason given for why he thinks the breastmilk is contributing to the problem, I would seek another opinion. Google lactation consultants in your area, or call the hospital that you delivered at, and ask for the lactation consultant. She will help you make sense of his advice, if it's good advice, or she may even be able to speak to him directly to be an advocate for you and the baby. If they work in the same hospital, they should have open lines of communication to resolve this and make some sense out of it.

M.:

if you baby developed jaundice shortly after birth.... it is NOT from breastfeeding. Breastmilk Jaundice peaks day 7-15

if getting back to breastfeeding is what you want you can do that. If you are having difficulties find a board certified lactation consultant to help you.

P.,RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

this is a great article that explains the 2 different kinds of jaundice in newborns and supports continuing to breastfeed except for in extreme circumstances. the body needs to pass the bilirubin, and ample breastmilk is one of the best ways to keep their system working to pass it. i'm sure a lactation consultant can answer things much better than i, but it is not unusual for doctors to make this request based on lack of or old information. plus probably a healthy dose of cya.

http://www.bflrc.com/newman/breastfeeding/jaundice.htm

for the record, my son had jaundice that showed up within the first few days and it was pretty much gone by 3 weeks. he did look pretty yellow early one, but grew well nand had plenty of wet/poopy diapers. never did he have to lay under special lights or stop breastfeeding (he was exclusively breastfed from the start) -- we made sure he spent some time soaking up light through the windows and just kept an eye on him and all passed quite normally without any special measures needing to be taken.

good luck!

Hi! I know that you have received a ton of advise and I'm not sure if someone has already said this or not...Your doctors don't want you to stop breastfeeding! I think that maybe there is some miscommunication. My second child was severely jaundiced and was hospitalized for it and I dealt with all the same feeding issues that you are and I'm a RN. Bilirubin is excreted from the body through stool. It's much easier for a baby to have bowel movements when they've been fed formula. So, it's just a temporary thing that they would suggest formula over breastmilk. My daughter was at such a high level that she would have needed blood transfusions, but luckily the levels came down. They fed her formula until the levels started to come down. I just pumped for about 2 days. I was so afraid that she wouldn't want to nurse, but she was fine! Good Luck. I know what a horrible feeling it is to see your baby going through all this!

Hi M.!

Deep breaths, oh, those dr's make me so MAD! This is a normal process, and, it's not your breast milk that's making her have a high billirubin count, they recommend formula so they can monitor how much she's getting. Contact your hospital's lactation consultant, mine at Rush Copely in Aurora were absoutely amazing. You can put her to the breast twice as often or you can supplement with your own milk that you pump. Our trouble was that our little one would fall fast asleep while breast feeding within a minute or two, and stay that way. Then the higher the billirubin, the more they want to sleep, it's a cycle.

Good luck!

Breastfeed that child!!!! Also placing them in the sunlight will help to break down the bilirubin. Just place the baby in a bouncer seat with nothing but a diaper on in front of a window that allows the sunlight to hit directly on them and let her sleep like that. Move her as the sun moves.

Both my kids were a little jaundice, and it's actually pretty normal. The more liquid (in the form of breastmilk) you can get in them and the more vitamin D from the sun the better chance they have at breaking it down.

It's unfortunate but many docs have only had very minimal medical training in the field of breastfeeding (something like only a few hours). Contact a lactation nurse and discuss it further. You can call Palos Community Hospital and talk with one of the lactation nurses there no matter where you delivered. The number is ###-###-####.

GOod luck with your little angel!!
J.

Hi, M.. When my son (now 19 mos.) was born, he was jaundiced and a sleep eater. Because of the sleepiness, he wasn't stimulating enough milk production and consequently remained jaundiced for a bit. Our nurses just had me supplement one ounce of formula after breastfeeding once a day for a few days, and that helped flush out the bilirubin for him.

If breastfeeding is something you want to do, do NOT stop - your daughter will benefit from it, and by continuing, you will help keep your supply up. For us, the breastmilk plus minimal formula supplement flushed everything out, and my son is fine.

You might also want to contact a lactation consultant - I can recommend one, if you like. Good luck!

N.

I had the same issue with my daughter but maybe not as severe. The doctor recommended me to supplement formula for two feedings a day. This helped out and it was only 2oz. I continued to breastfeed also. Will your doctor let you do both, maybe do half breast and half formula until the levels go down.

Please read these links regarding breastfeeding and jaundice. In most cases, you DO NOT need to formula feed during this time. If they are not admitting her, her levels are most likely lower than 20mg and she will be just fine. Just nurse, nurse, nurse. Good luck and congrats!
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t029600.asp
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/07jaundice.html
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/bfhelp-jaundice.html

M.,

You will undoubtedly get a lot of responses on this :-)

First, don't panic. Most babies get a touch of jaundice and it self corrects. The important thing is that you are nursing like crazy to stimulate production... even if baby is not at the breast, you will still need to pump. contact a lactation consultant at your delivering hospital for advice on how often and how long, etc. secondly, the reason why they are telling you to supplement is because most breastfeeding jaundice is due to lack of supply, and not enough fluids to help secrete the bilirubin. I do not believe the liver begins functioning on it's own until birth, so again, don't panic... most babies experience a certain degree. I think it's a little too soon to say that you should give up breastfeeding or say your new baby is failing to thrive, it IS the best thing you can do for your baby :) Secondly, if your baby needs to take a bottle for a couple days, she should adjust quickly back to the breast once her levels are up. Is it possible to get one of those things that you wear... it has like a tube that would supply supplement to baby, but keep her at the breast... i don't know what they're called. My son was breastfeeding for a week, then we stopped... then I had a change of heart around 6 weeks and wanted to try to relactate, even if he wasn't getting his sole nutrition from breast and he took the nipple quite well... I was never able to fully relactate - this was my fault. His reflux issues were incredibly stressful - but enough about me ;-)

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about 'breastfeeding jaundice' - some of it greek to me, but your doctors and a lactation consultant can better help you understand what's happening and why.

The term breast-milk jaundice refers to jaundice in a newborn baby who is exclusively breastfed and in whom other causes of jaundice have been ruled out. The jaundice appears at the end of the first week of life and hence overlaps physiological jaundice. It can last for up to two months. Several factors are thought to be responsible for this condition.

In exclusively breastfed babies the establishment of normal gut flora is delayed. The bacteria in the gut convert conjugated bilirubin to stercobilinogen which is then oxidized to stercobilin and excreted in the stool. In the absence of sufficient bacteria the bilirubin is de-conjugated and reabsorbed. This process of re-absorption is called entero-hepatic circulation.

The breast-milk of some women contains a metabolite of progesterone called 3-alpha-20-beta pregnanediol. This substance inhibits the action of the enzyme uridine diphosphoglucuronic acid (UDPGA) glucuronyl transferase responsible for conjugation and subsequent excretion of bilirubin. Reduced conjugation of bilirubin leads to increased level of bilirubin in the blood.

Lipoprotein lipase an enzyme present in breast-milk produces increased concentration of nonesterified free fatty acids that inhibit hepatic glucuronyl transferase which again leads to decreased conjugation and subsequent excretion of bilirubin.

Breast-milk jaundice does not usually cause any complication like kernicterus if the baby is otherwise healthy. The serum bilirubin level rarely goes above 20 mg /dL. It is usually not necessary to discontinue breast-feeding as the condition resolves spontaneously. Adequate hydration should be maintained by giving extra fluids if necessary.

Good luck and CONGRATULATIONS!!! :)

Hi M.,
I have 4 children and 3 out of the 4 had jaundice. My third son was put back into the hospital for a week because his bili level was 24, which is seriously high. I have heard that pitocin which is used to induce labor is what is causing so much jaundice in babies. I had pitocin with all 3 of my babies that had jaundice and did not have pitocin with my one child that did not have jaundice. I have heard that babies can get jaundice from breast feeding but I don't know the reason why. When a baby has jaundice they want to get as many fluids in the baby's body as possible and that's why they often ask you to wait on breastfeeding. I would suggest bottle feeding and just pump and store your milk in the freezer, just to make sure the baby is getting lots of fluids. I know now they say not to give babies water but they had me give my son water also. My son who was in the hospital was put on an IV. All the fluids help flush the body out and get the liver working right. Don't worry about the baby having nipple confusion, she probably will if you are doing bottle for 48 hours. Don't worry you can get her back on the breast, it won't probably be easy but if that's all you offer her she will finally give in and take to the breast. She is so little you should be able to get her back on breast feeding. Breast milk is so good for the baby especially the first 6 weeks!!
Did they tell you to take her clothes off and lay her in the sun near a window in your house, not outside of course. Don't put her face in the sun just her body. And make sure that she isn't there long enough to get sun burn. Push the fluids. My doctor had me bring my babies back in to the office each day to have a bilirubin test. Once the levels start to fall they usually don't go back up again, because the liver is finally working. Also, when their jaundice is high they tend to sleep a lot, so wake her up when it is time to feed. That way she will be getting the fluids she needs. Don't worry, I am sure she will be fine, but it is scary when your baby is sick and you have no idea if they are getting better or not. Congratulations on your new little baby girl!!!!

M.,
Both my boys were jaundice. When you were told to stop breastfeeding for 24-48 hours did you mean give her formula for that time period?
My pediatrition and the nurses at the hospital really pushed for me to do that with my 2nd son to get his biliruben count lower faster. I was told that they pooped more and would get their liver functions faster with formula. I didn't want to give a bottle with formula that early on for my son because I was worried he would have trouble going back to nursing (he was only 3 days old). I stuck with breastfeeding and I had to wake up my son and nurse him every 2 hours so he would poop more and we had him under the lights.
I hope this helps, good luck!

Wait wait wait...I'm confused. Jaundice DUE to breastfeeding? Stopping feeding for 24-48 hrs? I may be reading this wrong and if so, I apologize.

Both of my boys had jaundice when they were born and the only thing I had to do with regard to feeding was to feed, feed, feed. I DID have to supplement with formula to make sure that my older son (Jacob) was getting enough. Jacob was also in a "bili-blanket" at home for a few days. But, with my second (Ryan), he was SUCH a good nurser (and my milk came in FAST) that he never needed any formula.

So, when Jacob was being supplemented with formula, I was pumping to get my milk to a) come in and b) to save. I would feed him EBM as often as I could and also the formula. He was able to do the bottle for the short time and then was more than willing to go back to nurse after we were in the clear. Your little girl may have a hard time (some do) but working with a Lactation Consultant can really help with this.

I would clarify with your pediatrician exactly what you are supposed to be doing with regard to feeding.

Stopping breastfeeding will not help the billirubin levels go down. It is strange that a doctor would even suggest this.
It will just put a kink in her ability to take the breast.

If you give a bottle your daughter will want to keep taking the bottle (because it is easier to suck from than the breast). It is very hard to switch back and forth between bottle and breast with a newborn, I know this from experience.

You daughter needs to eat more so she can poop more. If I were you I would increase my feedings to once every hour, or more if she wants it. (If she wont take breastmilk from your breast, then pump and feed her from an eye dropper, syringe, spoon or bottle if needed.) The more she eats, the more she will poop. The more she poops, the less meconium poop she will have in her intestines.

Do a little reaserch for yourself too. Personally I would not take the doctors advice in this situation. Breast milk is best. Here are a few links I found with a quick google search (Breastfeeding and Jaundice):

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/07jaundice.html
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/breastfeeding/guide/breast...
http://www.breastfeeding-basics.com/html/jaundice.shtml

M., your baby's bilirubin levels has nothing to do with breast feeding. It has to do only with your baby's liver functioning. Perhaps the doctor's asked you to stop breast feeding because a formula if synthetically balanced and may have more of what your baby needs.

I would get a 2nd opinion from another specialist in a couple of days after the doctor checks the bilirubin levels if they are not stabilizing at normal levels.

Here are a couple of excellent articles that I found online. They suggest the opposite of what your doctor recommended. If I were you I would start doing more reseach.

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/common...

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/541770_5

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001559.htm

M.

I didn't read the other responses, but know this is common. It was the same deal for me with my second child. The breastfeeding didn't cause the jaundice. The formula just help the to eat a lot and go to the bathroom more to rid their little bodies of the billrubin. Just pump for now and store the milk in the freezer for later. Then when the jaundice clears, you can go back to nursing in a few days, just like I did.

I think it's ridiculous that any doctor would suggest that you stop breastfeeding. You should take her in daily for a dose of light to get the levels down. You should not stop feeding. What practice are you attending? It infuriates me to hear this type of advice, from a doctor nonetheless. If I were you, I would say NO WAY and seek other options like light therapy AT HOME. ( they do have the ability to do this!)

My son was also jaundiced for a few days or a week after he was born, but never did the doctor tell me to quit breastfeeding. I was also told to put him in sunlight as often as possible, and I nursed him as much as possible, though breastfeeding was a struggle for the first week or so with him. Keep it up! And if your doctor insists on the formula, seek another opinion. I definitely don't think that's the best option - breast milk is ALWAYS best and has EVERYTHING your little girl needs!

My first daughter was born 3 1/2 weeks early and developed jaundice too. This was 23 year ago, so I don't remember all the details, but we did come through it and I nursed her for nearly a year. She had to be re-admitted for a week to stay under the bilirubin lights (probably released too soon the first time). In the hospital they used bottles to give her formula and I continued to nurse, so our situation wasn't exactly like yours. In hindsight however, I do think she developed some "nipple confusion" and that worked itself out once we were home and back to nursing only. A friend of mine switched to nursing after starting her baby out on a bottle. So she didn't even start nursing until her daught was a week or two old - and her daughter took to it easily. Go back to nursing only when you get the green light from the doctors, and with persistence on your part, your baby will most likely go back to nursing. Good luck and congratulations on your new baby!

I have never heard of such a thing.
What hospital?
I would pump and ask for a lacatation specialist to come help you during this. Also I would ask how formula is going to HELP the levels out verus breastmilk.
I think I would ask alot of questions til it either seemed reasonable or not.

Check out www.kellymom.com for further info. I think you are being wrongly informed.

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/07jaundice.html

My baby had this. She was under a light at home for almost a month. I had to supplement every other feeding with formula. At the end of the month, she went right back to nursing full time. The formula worked, something to do with the higher levels of iron and other things. It is a little difficult, but I would pump when you can just to keep the milk supply up. Check with your doctor about saving it, or if you need to dump it. Good luck

Don't do anything to jeopardize your nursing relationship. It is true that they may excrete the billirubin faster because the babies make more waste when they are on formula because it isn't as digestable as breastmilk. My son (8 weeks) also had higher levels at his first few appts, but as your milk comes in and her liver starts functioning better it will naturally clear up. If you can, set the swing or bouncy seat near the window where he can get some natural sunlight....that will help too. Having only breastmilk helps to seal their immature digestive system and is much, much better for them. If you are dedicated to breastfeeding, I would look into another Dr. as that one doesn't sound very informed or supportive of nursing. Yes, it could be fine, but it is better for him not too and she could end up nipple confused and won't latch for you later. I have been throuigh that and would not wish it on my worst enemy.

I have never heard of this, but who knows because my daughter had jaundice and the nurse at the hospital told me that it might be because of her blood type was so much different than mine. There are a lot of factors that can influence it I guess. I don't think stopping nursing for 24-48 hours would be a good thing, I'd say maybe nurse her more often, wake her to feed her and do it like every 2 hours???

I was told to give the baby about 2 tbsp of water before each feeding and that would clear it out faster.

Hi M. -
I had a similar situation. My son was jaundice and I was told to stop nursing for 24 hours. I was so scared that he would not go back to the boob after getting formula for the day. 24 hours doesn't seem that long but that is a lot of feedings for the little one. We went to formula for the 24 hours and he went back to nursing just fine. My sons numbers went down but I will never know if it was due to not nursing or it just being another day for his body to work it out. It seems that you have mixed reviews so just do what makes you comfortable. If she is going to be a boob baby - she will go back to the boob. Good Luck!!

My little one had jaundice, but we were able to keep breastfeeding through it. The important thing is to keep your milk supply up if you suplement. Get advise from www.kellymom.com They are really good with this stuff. Post this as a question there with lots of detail. They are so knowledgable, but will need the specifics (age, counts, etc.)

I would definitely pump as much as you can (while she is not nursing)and store it. You need to keep your milk production up if you plan to keep nursing her. One of my sons had mild jaundice, but I never was told to stop nursing for a period of time. Was told to expose him to sunlight. Jaundice went away. I am sure that they told you that too.

HTH. Good luck

S.

M., I would strongly advise you not to stop breast feeding!!!!Call a local Lactation counselor and put your baby in the sun for some extra vitamin A&D.I cannot imagine what you're going through , tho I have serious concerns about a doctor who would advise you to stop doing the most natural and best thing for your child! The la leche' league has numerous woman and counselors available to help along with Physician support. Check that out and the very best of luck to both of you!!!G.G.

My dd was in the same situation- she was under the bili lights at home for over a week b/c of the jaundice and had daily heel sticks to check her levels. They also recommended that I supplement with formula - not b/c bf'ing was bad for the jaundice, but b/c they tend to drink more formula than breastmilk (it's easier), so they pee more which gets the bili out. My dd was nursing fine though and I decided not to supplement/replace because bf'ing was important to me and I didn't want her to stop nursing. She kicked the jaundice fine. Make sure she's getting lots of sunshine too! Good luck.

M.,

I have had three children and they all have had jaundice. Each time they wanted me to go feeding with formula. But I refused to and ended up supplementing with formula. My first I would nurse and then supplement with a plastic syringe. Second one I would breastfeed and the nurse or my husband would use a syringe attached to a tube that we would be slid into their mouth next to my nipple. My last one is 7 months old and I would nurse the baby and then we would give him a
2 ml bottle. We have never had a problem with nipple confusion. Good luck. By the way, did they tell you that you should lay your daughter in direct sunlight. Leave her just in her diaper and sit by a window, that helped my first one pass the bilirubin's faster.

J.

Oh my goodness! What terrible advice! The BEST cure for getting rid of the bilirubin which causes jaundice is to breastfeed. Nurse, nurse, nurse as much as possible. Many babies have jaundice as newborns (including my two daughters). The breast milk helps flush out the bilirubin. That being said, if your milk isn't fully in yet you could SUPPLEMENT with formula for a few days; just make sure you continue to nurse frequently to build your supply up. I did not give either of my daughters formula, and their jaundice cleared up within two weeks.

Hope that helps!

I am surprised that your doctor suggested to stop breastfeeding. All three of my children had jaundice when they were born. In the hospital they were put under the blue lights occasionally to bring down the bilirubin levels. Two of them came home with a biliblanket, which you wrap them in and plug it in for much of the day. With one of the children, the nurses had me cupfeed the baby formula to supplement the breastfeeding. This way it was not confused with a bottle nipple and still got supplemented. I was surprised how the newborn would take the formula from a small cup (which I of course had to raise to his mouth to drink.
Good luck!

First of all hats off for you for breastfeeding! Its not an easy thing today and many mom's welcome the opportunity to throw in the hat b/c of challenges...so you are already showing your amazing love to this child by your committment and concerns regarding breast feeding...

I breastfeed both of my kids (9 months for the first and 10 months for the second)...Both of our kids had high bilrubin/ jaundice issues...Don't worry about stopping...just buy/borrow a breast pump and pump at the times you'd normally feed her in order to maintain your milk supply...

...give her the recommended amounts of formula/or whatever the doctor recommends (soymilk etc.)...until the levels get to normal... Most babies welcome the opportunity to have breast milk...so your baby will likely do fine... He/she may have difficulty with the latching (and you might too) BUT don't confuse that with him/her not wanting your breast milk...they may simply have to relearn the latching skill... Don't give up if you hit latching difficulties...just say to yourself that its a matter of time...Your baby will relearn the skill in no time...after all they are growing and want food! There is a book called...the Art of Breastfeeding... I recommend it for you...

Just relax and take one day at a time...that means first just take care of the bilirubin which is the most important health concern for you at the moment... then tackle the breast feeding issue....

...as far as the bilirubin...there are bilirubin light blankets that your doctor can prescribe/authorize for you...You can use them at home with your baby...ask your doctor for the insurance authorization...You may also hold the baby naked (down to the diaper) in direct sunlight several times during the day...You can stay inside your home and sit by a window or as the weather gets nicer you could go outside...

Blessings

M.