Chapped Lips and Jaundice

HI A., FOR THE TREATMENT OF JAUNDICE THE CAUSE MUST BE DETERMINED.i KNOW THEY TREAT IT WITH ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, BUT LET THE DOCTORS DETERMINE WHATS BEST FOR THE BABY BECAUSE THERE CAN BE A LOT OF DIFFERENT REASONS FOR IT. AS FOR HER CHAPPED LIPS VASELINE IS GOOD TO USE

My son also had jaundice and had to have his billyruben tested every day. Unfortunately, he was born in December so there was not much sunlight to go around. My doctor recommended that I get a billyblanket for him, and it worked wonders! It was donated by the Franciscan Health Center, and I gave it back when I was done. It was wonderful and it made my son look like a little glow worm!

hi A., i would suggest using vaseline on her lips and keep the baby in some sunlight like an open window so that the light doesnt blind her. congrats .

Congratulations!! My 2nd baby was a little jaundiced & the ped recommended putting her down by the window for short periods. If you gave birth at Women & Infants, they'll likely call to schedule a nurse's visit to your house w/in a week to ck on her.

Regarding her lips...our ped swears by vaseline for everything. ie: as a diaper barrier, instead of lotion after tubbies, etc. so a light coat of it may be helpful.

Good luck & rest when you can!
~P.

Congrats! I guess the induction went ok. My daughter had jaundice also. My milk took 5 days to come in, so my doctor had me supplement and I sat with her in the sunlight for a few minutes. Even a bright sunny room helps. The chapped lips will go away on its own, I wouldn't do anything. Good luck.

for jaundice they say keep them in the sunlight so with the summer its great keep her outside a little inthe morning and early evening when its not too hot
as for the lips not sure chap stick works for us maybe if you put just a tiny bit on her it might be fine, your doc doesen't have any suggestions, also check the baby stores and pharamacy you'd be suprised at what htey have for babiesa nd toddlers these days just hte other day Ifound children's pepto bismo which my son loves taking and it so helped with his diarhea

Hi A.,
I am a mother of a 8 week old baby girl and here is my recommendation. Breastfeed her as much as possible. Do it "on demand" if you can work that in, even if it is every hour. The chapped lips mean she is dehydrated so the liquid will help her, plus the contact with your nipple will help keep her lips moist. The jaundice problem too, common and normal in many newborns, is easily remedied with the breastmilk, unless there is some other underlying issue. But before you worry about that, try the breastfeeding tactic -- you can tackle both the chapped lips and jaundice doing one very simple and convenient thing. If after a few days the problems persist, go to your pediatrician for advice. Good luck!
K.

A.,
Jaundice is very common in newborn babies. One of the best ways to help clear the system of increased bilirubin is through breastfeeding, especially the first few days of Colostrum. Colostrum is actually a laxative, so it is good for jaundiced babies - the increase in bowl movements will get rid of more bilirubin.
As for the chapped lips, I like a product called Lansinoh brand lanolin. It is available at Babies-r-Us and most drug stores.
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!

Hi A.,

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.

Hi-
As far as the jaundice, make sure your pediatrician is aware. It could be a serious thing. If your ped is aware, what worked for my son is some good old fashioned sunlight. Try putting his bed by a window. It should help until his body can get rid of the extra billirubin itself. As far as the chapped lips, they are probably just peeling from getting dry after being wet for so long. You might want to try a little aquaphor on them. We swear by the stuff for chapped lips and diaper rash. Good luck!
A.

Congrats on your newborn! Are you nursing? There are substances in breastmilk that will help with both. Also, as far as the jaundice goes, get your baby in some direct sun for brief periods of time. The sun helps to break up the bilirubin.

-M.

Hi A., 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

Congrats on Shayla. How did the induction go? Hope it was okay. Everything I have ever heard about jaundice was to get them in the sunlight.

Congratulations!!!!!! Daughters are a dream! Keep checking with the doctor on the jaundice and keep feeding her. Sometimes the jaundice will resolve on its own once her body starts metabolizing food. She needs to get used to eating externally instead of getting her nutrition through her cord. I've found the feeding issues of newborns to be a MAJOR source of stress. Don't despair- it'll get better!!! As for the chapped lips, use a touch of lansinoh if you have it- or believe it or not, a little pinch of crisco will work too! Both are safe for babies to have in their mouths. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

The chapped lips are not a big issue. If she has jaundice you need to take her to her doctor for a blood test to determine the levels. My daughter had to be admitted to the hospital at 7 days old to be under the lights for the jaundice. She could have had hearing damage if we had waited, so please don't wait.

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.

A.,

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!!!

Keep her in a bright sunlit room for a few hours during the day (not directly in any sunlight though). The vitamin D from the sun helps clear up the jaundice. Also, make sure you let the doc know about the jaundice and don't miss your 1st check up. We use aquaphor on our babies dry spots but I'm not sure if you can use this on babies lips, maybe vaseline? ask your pediatrician first, they should have an advice nurse on staff you can give a quick call. Good luck and congratulations on baby Shayla Jade.

You can use a little bit of Vaseline on her lips, just a dab, lightly spread on her lips. Make sure that she's eating enough. The more fluids she has in her the better, especially in this heat. If you're breastfeeding, breastfeed her as often as she wants.

For jaundice, natural sunlight is good, but if it's persistant you need to talk to your pediatrician.

My little guy had jaundice too. I was told to strip him down to his diaper and put him near the window to get some sunlight. Seemed to do the trick. As for the chapped lips...are you breastfeeding? I put some of my colostrum on his lips when he was first born and that helped the chapping. Not sure about this but perhaps lanolin...it's safe for breastfeeding mothers and its used for cracked nipples, I wonder if it'd help her lips???

Hi A.,

Congrats on Shayla. Hope you are not feeling too overwhelmed and you have some help since this is your first one. My son Om, now 2 months old, was also born with jaundice. We exposed him to the sun about 10 minutes a day, and did nothing else. I read numerous articles on it, and most said that it goes away in about 4-7 days, and it did. For chapped lips, my son also had that as well, I just applied a very thin layer of vaseline for maybe a day and it has not been a problem. Hope this helps. Good luck with the new one.

R.

for the chapped lips, GNC sells a product line called Burt's Bees. They have a lip balm that works great. As far as jaundice, I reccomend pediatrician.

A.,
Congratulations!! Hope the birth went well for you. Did you go with the induction, or did she decide to come out on her due date? Either way, blessings!

Indirect sun through a window will do wonders for the jaundice. Even outside is ok early on the morning for no more than 20 minutes, but no sunscreen. Even the most natural ones shouldn't be used until 6 months at the earliest. See what your pediatritian says at her visit this week, if you're going to one. Otherwise, if she hasn't yellowed below her mid section, the sun is more than sufficient at this point.

Another mom said to watch for the meconium. If that's still coming, or it looks more like mustard (only if your breastfeeding) then a visit to the Pediatritian is definately called for.

The chapped lips will go away. Breastmilk heals ALL. Just rub some in at the end of each feeding and it should clear up. A good un-petrolium jelly is ok too, or an all natural lip balm. Lanolin will work as well, as mentioned before.

Good luck with your precious little one. Hope you find the answers you need.

Blessings,
Rolinda

Chapped lips can be completely normal - new babies are very dry and need lots of cream because they're used to being in water. Jaundice can also be normal as long as it doesn't get too bad. If she's looking really yellow, especially the whites of her eyes, you should call the doctor ASAP. The combination of jaundice and chapped lips could also mean dehydration (not taking enough milk/formula), but you need a professional to determine that for you. Good luck - welcome to the scary part of being a mom - don't worry too much though - you'll miss out on all the joy!

L. (Mom of 2 boys, 3-1/2 and 1)

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!

My name is K., 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

Indirect sunlight worked for my son. Just take her into a sunny room for 10 minutes or so several times a day. Keep her out of direct sunlight so she doesn't get burned, but that should help pretty quickly if the jaundice isn't bad. Chapped lips are very normal and unless they are cracked a bit of lip balm should do the trick. Good Luck and congratulations!!!!

Hi A.,
My name is K. and my daughter was born with jaundice too(she's 10 now). Our doctor told us to take her clothes off except for the diaper and lay her by the window so the sunlight would be on her. Of course we wouldn't lay her there for a long time, maybe 10 minutes at a time or so. But he said the sunlight was great for helping the jaundice. I really don't remember if it was the Vitamin D that a person gets from the sun or what, it was so long ago. But I do remember that it helped.
As far as the chapped lips go, I really wouldn't worry about it. I think both of our kids did that too and it went away on it's own after awhile. It didn't bother them, they were ok. It just bothered us looking at it. If they are cracked so much that it bleeds I would probably do something, but otherwise, I'm sure it will clear up on it's own. Don't worry about it. You have too many other important things on your mind being a new mom. Hang in there!
K. B.

jaundice needs to be taken care of by your doctor -- nothing to mess around with. as far as chapped lips...I suggeswt using a lanolin based breast cream...it will help you and her...if you want something for her, try Aquaphor. That helped me!

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!

H.

Hi A.. 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!
J.

Vaseline for the chapped lips. It is ok for a newborn.

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!

A.,

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.

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!

My daughter had severe jaundice... if you can manage to find some sunlight in central new york that is the best thing for her. She needs the uv light! Take her for walks and expose as much of her that she is comfortable with. this should help! For the chapped lips you can put vaseline on her lips frequently. I even put a little desetin on my daughter but check with your doc first!

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!

Firstly let me tell you that babies peel after they are born. So don't dismay. If it would ease you to see her lips improve, try a little vaseline on them. As far as the jaundice goes, strip your baby down to the diaper and let the sunlight shine on her. I had 2 out of 4 children with this condition, they would have me put them near a window and the sunlight, a little everyday (an hour or two) for maybe a week and you should see it improve or go away. Jaundice does not hurt them.

A....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!

Hey A.,
Congratulations on your new bundle of joy. I am sure she will bring you lots of happiness. As far as the concerns you have. I had my daughter 10 years ago and she had problems when she was born. Under the advice of the neonatal doctors upon bringing her home I was told to use A&D ointment on her lips which worked wonders. As far as the jaundice I would place her in her bassinet in front of the living room window during the day so that she got some indirect sunlight which also helped. Give it a try and good luck. If the sunlight does not work on the jaundice for you then I would give my peds. a call. Take care. I. G.

A.,

Not to scare you, but I thought my son had a touch of jaundice. He ended up hospitalized. Only for 24 hours but it still was very tramatic for me. If you suspect, take her to the pediatrician. My daughter (1st child) was also jaundice but wasn't hospitalized. It's very common. She was able to break down the bilirubin with the help of natural light. Good luck. Better safe than sorry!

M.

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.

Chapped lips could just be normal peeling, but if your baby seems extra fussy or running a low grade fever, it could be something more. My son, the day we were going to be discharged from the hospital felt a little warm to me and was fussier than he had been before. The doctor pretty much told me that new mothers don't know what is going on with thier babies, but he would have a nurse check it out.

Sure enough, he had a fever. They thought it was an infection, but we were releaved to find out he was only dehydrated. Still serious, but much better than we had thought. My milk hadn't come in yet and he was almost 10 pounds when he was born, so he just wasn't getting enough from the colostrum. We gave him formula for 2 weeks, and then we never had to again.

Usually these things are nothing, but we had no idea that chapped lips were a sign of dehydration until he was too sick for us to fix it. He went into the NICU for 2 days. So, when we had our daughter, and she started showing the same signs as Stephen had, we knew what to do. (She was 9 1/2 pounds)

good luck

Hi A.- both of my daughters suffered jaundice after they were born. My doctor recommended placing them in a sunny spot for 20 minutes to 30 mins. at a time several times a day. They seemed to enjoy sleeping in the sunshine and the Vitamin D they got from the sunlight helped thier bodies process what their little kidneys couldn't do yet. It worked for my kids.
As far as the chapped lips go- you can use some lanolin cream or vaseline. You just want to make sure she's not de-hydrated. You may want to ask her pediatrician just to be sure she's getting enough milk- escpecially if you are breast-feeding her. The jaundice may be connected if she's not eating enough.
I hope this is helpful!
-S.

(By the way A., my daughter's name is Layla Imani. Both our daughters names are almost similar. LOL

Congratulations on your new addition. By now I am sure your daughter is past her jaundice. I had a premature daughter (7 weeks early last year in July and she spent 21 days in the special care nursery before I got to bring her home. She developed jaundice and had to be treated with the photo therapy lights or whatever they are called. The nurses put the special eye mask over her eyes to protect them.

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?

My son had jaundice. I am assuming you are going to the pediatrician soon and they will most likely check some levels in her blood. Nursing/feeding your baby as much as possible helps because pooping helps to get the RBCs out of their system, what the liver is not doing right now. Jaundice is very common in newborns, but it does need to be resolved. If the baby cannot resolve it themselves they will put her under lights. I nursed my son every 2 hours or less at times and put him in undirect sunlight with just a diaper on. Be careful of the sunlight of course as you don't want to burn your baby in this August heat. I just had him in his bassinet by the living room window with indirect light coming in on him.
As far as the chapped lips go....you can use Baby Aquaphor. My daughter (2 now) had bad eczema as an infant and we put that on her hands and mouth...any area that needed moisture that she might put in her mouth. Probably a good idea to call your pediatrician on this one.
Congrats on your new baby!

Good luck
H.

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.

Try some indirect sunlight, such as putting her by a sunny window for a short period of time. Just watch she doesn't overheat. This is what our pediatrician recommended although we couldn't use it as our daughter was born in November (very little sun here in PA!) Good Luck

Congratulations! Please consult your pediatrician - they should evaluate and monitor the jaundice. They will assess what you should do (supplemental feeding/sunlight/etc.)

Congrats A. on the new little blessing!
All of my babies were jaundice because they were all early. Keep her by the window or take her on walks and let her get plenty of sunshine. Not during the heat of th day but in the mornings and later in the afternoons is great! Also make sure her face and eyes are in the sunshine. I can't explain why but there is something about getting the eyes in the sunshine that helps. My youngest was jaundice for 7 full weeks. Not bad enough for the lights but not gone and still quite yellow too. He was born March 12th. We sat outside on the 3rd of May for my daughters tea party and he was all bundled up because it was still a little chilly, except for his face. That day he went from yellow to pink! Better then any artificial lights would have done.
As for the lips, could she have a "nursing blister"? It is very common for babys to develope that when they are very little. It makes it look like they have chapped lips. mine got them an dit really was no big deal.
HOpe this helps!
A. B.

well first off for the jaundice the best things are natural sun light and making sure she's eating enough. the uv from the sun helps ( probably 5 -10 mintues every so often in front of the window will help, just make sure it's not to hot)and the more she ests the more she will poop and that will get the toxins out of her system. as for the chapped lips they have a product out called tiny faces it's like a big chap stick to use all over a baby's face.

hope all goes well.. i know a first baby can be stress full but enjoy every moment they grow so fast

I have used Burts Bee's Wax for my daughter's chapped lips and it has worked great. Sorry, but, have no suggestions for jaundice. Good luck.

WOOHOO! YOU HAD THE BABY!

You have to tell us how your delivery went.
Jaundice is easy --- sun, sun, sun! You can either expose her to the sunlight thru the windows or directly outside. My last baby was born in May with jaundice and I took her right onto our deck, naked except for her diaper. Make sure you do it for only 10 minutes at a time to avoid dehydration or sunburn. 10 min in the sun 10-15 out of the sun. Be sure to put her on her belly (and don't leave her unattended!) or cover her eyes to avoid damage.

Are you nursing? Nursing will prolong her jaundice but its no big. As long as you see poops n pee in her diaper she's letting go of the bilirubin just fine so don't distress. Also, for her chapped lips I suggest taking some drops of your breast milk and rubbing it on her lips each feeding. If not you can take tiny amounts of vaseline and put it on her lips. Chapped lips is also an indication that she may not be nursing enough so just keep feeding, feeding, feeding! As you milk starts to come in she will be getting the sufficient nutrients she needs. Even if you are using formula, as she eats more the chapped lips will subside.

Best wishes to you and blessings to your new little one!

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?

For Chapped lips, i used vasoline,(a small amount applied with a q-tip) for the Jaundice, if it is not too severe, let the baby sit in the sunlight that comes through a window with ultraviolet protection. I did this with one of my children, and it worked well (it was recomended by the hospital peditirician) expose as much of the skin as possible. If the Jaundice is severe, most likely you would not have been discarged, however if you are at all uncomfortable, call your peditrician.. 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.