‘Jaundice is not caused by anything that that mother eats’
“A lot of people really believe that jaundice is caused by certain foods that the mother eats during her pregnancy, and this is not true,” says Madihlaba.
Dr Legodimo Madihlaba educated parents to be educated about the causes and treatments of jaundice in newborns, getting rid of the myths once and for all.
“A lot of people really believe that jaundice is caused by certain foods that the mother eats during her pregnancy, and this is not true,” says Madihlaba.
Newborn jaundice is a yellowing of a baby’s skin and eyes, caused by high levels of bilirubin.
Bilirubin is a yellow pigment produced during the normal breakdown of red blood cells.
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“The only precaution that the expectant mother can take is a blood test to establish whether her blood group is negative or positive.
“This helps because if the mother’s blood group is negative, and the baby’s is positive, we know it increases the chances of jaundice for the baby.”
She says that the most common treatment for jaundice is blue light treatment.
“This treatment is used when the jaundice is not too severe in the infant.
We make use of UV rays, like from the sun, to get rid of the illness,” explains Madihlaba.
She that, in essence, there is nothing that mothers can do to prevent their newborns from getting jaundice.
Hellen Kaharis from LifeBaby told the parents about the benefits of water therapy.
“These groundbreaking methods have been proven to strengthen baby’s movement, muscular and digestive systems.”
She says newborn babies can start the therapy as early as two days after they are born.
“The therapy also helps them with problem-solving, because once they are in the water they start to ask themselves ‘what can I do?’”
The instructors place inflatables on the baby’s neck that allow them to float without restricting their movement in the water.
“The babies are so used to being restricted at that age because there isn’t much that they can do on their own. But in the water they are free to explore what their bodies can do.”
Life Springs Parkland Hospital will host the Pregnancy Awareness Day on February 16.
The event will be held At the St. Mary’s maternity unit.
The free antenatal classes will also continue on March 16.
