10 Home Remedies for Jaundice in Newborns

Jaundice is very common among newborns. It occurs when the bilirubin level in the blood is high. Usually, jaundice in newborns is harmless. It easily gets cured on its own within a span of one to two weeks after the birth of the baby. But if the bilirubin level remains high, the baby should be hospitalised. There are some remedies that one can try to treat jaundice in newborns. However, one should consult a doctor before trying these remedies.

Natural Ways to Treat Jaundice in Newborns

It is normal for a baby to be suffering from jaundice when he is born. There are several modes of treatment that you can try to treat jaundice in newborns. Below is a list of remedies that you can try to treat jaundice in newborns.

1. Breastfeed your baby frequently.

If your newborn baby has jaundice, feed him frequently. Breastfeeding your little one frequently will help eliminate the bilirubin from his bloodstream and flush it out through stool and urine. Babies with jaundice sleep a lot; if your baby has jaundice, he might sleep a lot, too. Wake him up at regular intervals to feed him.

Also, mothers must consume a healthy diet when breastfeeding their newborns. Freshly prepared, nutritious, balanced meals can ensure that. Therefore, include green leafy vegetables, a small portion of seafood with low-mercury levels per week, foods with healthy fats, seeds, nuts, fruits, well-cooked meat, and a healthy dose of fibre-rich starches.

Another thing that can also help mothers establish a breastfeeding relationship with their newborns is skin-to-skin contact. It helps initiate breastfeeding and set a breastfeeding schedule early on, which in turn aid in decreasing the bilirubin levels.

Optimising breastfeeding support is also necessary to ensure the child is breastfed exclusively on schedule. Therefore, ensure you form a tight support system that includes your close family and peer groups.

2. Make your little one bask in the sun.

If your baby has jaundice, keep him in the sunlight for 1-2 hours daily. However, see to it that the baby receives the slanting rays of the sun before 8 o’clock in the morning. The rays of the sun will help reduce the bilirubin content in the blood and cure jaundice.

3. Regularise baby massage.

A study revealed that soothing oil massages along with some time in the gentle morning sunlight every day could improve the frequency of bowel movement in babies and aid the elimination of bilirubin by reducing enterohepatic circulation.

4. Use supplements.

Newborn babies with jaundice should be fed more in comparison to babies who have no such health issues. In case breast milk is not enough for your bundle of joy, you can give him infant formula milk. An inadequate intake of milk results in dehydration and fewer bowel movements in the newborn, and it eventually leads to decreased bilirubin excretion from the body.

Sometimes, a newborn may suffer from jaundice because of drinking the mother’s breast milk. Certain chemicals in breast milk are thought to be responsible, but it is usually a harmless condition that resolves spontaneously. Mothers typically do not have to discontinue breastfeeding.

Majority of the newborns are born with jaundice and it hardly requires any treatment. Within a week or two, jaundice gets cured on its own. For mild jaundice, you can take the help of home remedies (of course, after consulting a doctor). But if the bilirubin level keeps on increasing, you must immediately take your newborn to the doctor. There is no reason to worry if your little one gets it; however, it shouldn’t be left untreated.

Also Read: Common Baby Problems and Remedies