Our baby girl was born this past Friday and she now seems to have a touch of jaundice and she also has chapped lips. I am looking for recommendations on how to fix both issues. Thank you!
April,
I can't really help with the jaundice but maybe with the chapped lips. I know when most babies have chappd lips it means they are dehydrated. This mean she needs to eat more but do NOT give her water. Enjoy your little bundle!!!
I had the same problem with my son. Leave your daughter fully undressed (you can lay a diaper under her)next to a sunny window as much as you can. I always did it when my son was sleeping. This will help cure the jaundice. As for the chapped lips, a tiny bit of vaseline goes a long way. Good luck to you and congrats on your new baby! Hope this helps.
My name is Kristin, I have a 21/2 year old son born 3 months premature- jaundice can be serious I suggest talking to your doctor. As far as the chapped lips go, my son's lips get chapped all the time since he was born. I usually use vaseline or cocobutter sticks. good luck!!1
not sure about the jaundice or the chapped lips - i used gerber moisturizing stick on my little girls lips and face when she had chapped lips and reddish chapped cheeks. It smells nice and isn't gooey like vaseline. it helped keep her moisturized, but didn't stop the chapping. Most newborns usually have scaly chapped skin b/c they no longer are in the amniotic fluid. also, my daughter was born in mid-july and about 3/4 weeks later she developed infant acne - her whole face, chest and upper back were covered in acne. The doctor said this was normal and to use only water and mild soap, johnson & johnson, to clean. He said "do not scrub or treat" with any thing, just water and mild soap.
Anyway, were you induced? If so, how was it?
April,
My son had jaundice for about 2 weeks and it was exhausting. The best thing to do is take your son outside to give him exposure to the sun. Sounds crazy but my son was actually covered in a blanket to give him this exposure. You also want to have your daughter drink as much as possible to get the billirubin out of his body. Our son refused to nurse which kept the billirubin in his body longer.
Hi
Congrats on your new baby. I have 2 boys ages 4 and 2. They both had terribly chapped lips. I nursed so I had plenty of lotion for my chapped and senstive areas. I used this lotion on their lips. It worked great. As far as the jaundice, my son was born 10 weeks premature and that was taken care of in the hospital.
Good luck!
I think that she should be seen by the pediatrician for a weight check. Be sure that she is having wet diapers and bowel movements. Be sure baby is eating every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. If baby is too tired to eat, feed smaller amounts more frequently.
Hi April. My 2nd had Jaundice - it really did not affect her, the dr. just checked it at her next appointment. As for the chapped lips, are you breastfeeding? The milk will probably heal it. If you are not breastfeeding, try a bit of vaseline. Also, if you are breastfeeding and have the lanilosh (sp?) cream for cracked nipples, you can use a bit of that.
GOod luck!
Jaime
Congrats on the new baby!!
Are you nursing? If so, breastmilk will fix everything! Put a little bit on her lips and the chapping will clear right up. As for the jaundice, strip the baby down to her diaper and either let her be outside in the sun (with sunscreen of course) or in front of a sunny window. Sun is great for jaundice. If you are nursing jaundice is pretty common - is your milk supply in yet?
Vaseline will work for her chapped lips or if you are breastfeeding and have some lanisosh you can use that on her lips too. As far as the jaundice, try to get some indirect sunlight on her, it will help break down the bilirubin that is causing the jaundice. If you can, early in the morning when the sun isn't the strongest... put her in a diaper and let her get a few minutes in the sun. Not long enough to get a burn though... maybe 10 min intervals.
I am a mother of 2 boys, 6.5 and almost 3. I can't help with the jaundice but the lips will improve fast if you try breast cream (steril lanolin) used for sore nipples. It is safe to injest, and works fast. Enjoy your your new bundle!
Hi April,
My oldest daughter was a little jaundice when she was born also. The yellow coloring usually fades over time.
You can put a thin layer of vaseline on her lips to help soften them.
Congrats on the birth of your daughter! Our oldest son had jaundice so we've had some experience with that. They suggest making sure the baby get sun, so you can sit her in front of a window in her diaper. Also if you are breast feeding do continue. Once your milk comes in I remember that helps (this was 8 years ago so my memory isn't that great right now!) Good luck!
First, congratulations! Second, relax -- this is all normal stuff and I am sure if you ask your doctor he/she will reassure you. All three of my sons were born with slight shades of jaundice and it passed in several days to a week. I think a little doctor-recommended cream would help with the chapped lips. You should feel free to call your doctor with as many questions as you have. They are used to it and it goes a long way to reassuring the anxious first-time mom. Lots of luck to you and baby Shayla!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My daughter had chapped lips and I just used a small amount of vaseline on her lips. My daughter (Sofia: age 11 mos) was born 3.5 weeks early and as a result was very jaundiced. Some say putting them in directly sunlight helps, but Sofia's levels were too high and I needed to go back into the hospital to have her put under lights. The jaundice is basically caused by the build up of red blood cells that their little livers cannot process fast enough. (They have more red blood cells in the beginning because they are not breathing in O2 yet which oxygenates the blood. Hope this helps!
Hi April, my firstborn had jaundice and the best thing to do is take her outside in the sunshine for periods of 20 mins. (per my pediatrician). The sun has vitamins that help the jaundice.
Sue
I would call my Pediatrician about the jaundice. They may want to see her. In extreme cases, the baby has to go back in the hospital and lay under UV lamps to break up the bilirubin (spelling). Your doc may just suggest to expose her to sunlight and keep an eye on her. Also, watch her poops. The darker the better. The darkness is from the bilirubin in her system and that means her body is getting rid of the build-up itself. They should start to lighten over the next few days. For the lips, like someone else suggested...Vaseline. You have to remember she's been in water for the last 9 months. She's going to dry out a little. And our environment isn't exactly friendly to where she just came from. And being that it's August, don't be suprised if her skin looks a little dried out too.
Congratulations!!
I used a little vasoline on both of my boys for chapped lips, and that helped a lot.
And sunlight, direct or indirect, helps to improve the jaundice. My first son had a slight amount of jaundice, and I would put place him on a blanket in his diaper near a window to get some indirect sunlight, and it helped.
If you are going to have Shayla outside for a little sun- pediatricians recommend strongly that you DO NOT use sunscreen on a baby until they are @ 6 months old! (Check w/ your ped)
Here's to hoping that Shayla is a wonderful sleeper!
Heather
April...the best advice for jaundice is to put her in the sun for 10 minutes a day...I let the sun pour in through the window onto Emmie for her first couple days home to clear up any yellow that she had. Just make sure she doesn't get too hot, and don't leave her there for too long.
As for the chapped lips, they just go away on their own. Emmie had chapped lips and peeling skin and it cleared up in about a week and a half!