To assess the health of a newborn baby, immediately after childbirth, a blood test is required. And one of the most important substances in the baby's blood for monitoring in the first days of life is bilirubin.
What is bilirubin?
This is the name of one of the bile pigments, which is constantly present in the human body in two fractions - free and bound. Unbound bilirubin is formed by the destruction of erythrocytes from hemoglobin that have served their time. With the blood stream, it is transferred to the liver, where it binds with glucuronic acid and through the bile ducts is released into the intestines, and then excreted from the body.
Why is the analysis done?
In the newborn's body, the level of bilirubin is usually increased due to the accelerated breakdown of hemoglobin. Fetal hemoglobin, which carried oxygen during the intrauterine development of the baby, breaks down, being replaced by normal (adult) hemoglobin. In addition, the baby's liver is still immature in the first months of life, and its enzyme system is not working at full strength, so the binding of bilirubin is not as active as in adults.
However, jaundice in a baby in the first days of life is not only physiological. It can be caused by various diseases and congenital pathologies. At the same time, an excessively high level of bilirubin is dangerous for babies, since this substance is able to penetrate into brain cells. To determine if the baby needs treatment and whether elevated bilirubin threatens brain health, a blood test of the crumbs for bilirubin is performed.
How is a blood test taken?
For the analysis, blood is needed from a vein in a volume of 3-5 ml. It is taken from the veins on the head, since such veins are quite large and superficial. Also, blood for analysis can be taken from the baby's heel.
The procedure is harmless to the baby and practically painless, so the mother does not need to worry about taking blood. Experienced nurses take blood, and the needle is so thin that after manipulation, only a small puncture mark remains on the skin.
Indicators of the norm
At birth, the level of bilirubin in a full-term baby is approximately 50-60 μmol / L. By the third day of life, its concentration rises to 200-205 μmol / L. An increase in bilirubin above 256 μmol / l is considered dangerous.
As for premature babies, the norms for them are slightly different - the dangerous limit of the bilirubin level in such babies is 171 μmol / l. By the age of 2-3 weeks, the pigment should gradually become less, and normally in a child of this age, bilirubin does not exceed 20.5 μmol / l.
Tips
- So that bilirubin is removed from the baby's body faster, the baby should often be applied to the breast, without interrupting feeding at night.
- With a child who has developed neonatal jaundice, it is recommended walk often, but at home air baths lasting up to 30 minutes.
