41 When is jaundice more dangerous? Jaundice, even at lower levels, may cause problems in some babies. These include: » Preterm babies born before 37 weeks of gestation » Babies weighing less than 2500 g at birth » Babies whose blood group is incompatible with their mother's blood group » Babies who develop jaundice early, particularly during the initial 24 hours » Babies with jaundice on the arms, legs, and face » Babies with infection » Babies with bruises and a difficult delivery » Babies whose siblings had jaundice at birth and required treatment continuously and can be moved out only for feeding. As the levels reduce, the duration of placing under the blue light gradually reduces. While under the light, the baby's eyes and genital area are kept covered. This can also be done using a ‘biliblanket’ in smaller babies. Sometimes, the levels of bilirubin rise dangerously high. At this time, the doctor may decide to do an exchange transfusion for your baby. Here, the baby's blood is replaced by fresh matching blood so the bilirubin levels can rapidly decrease.
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