Risk Factors of Early Breastfeeding Jaundice: How Can Gynecologists and Nurses be Effective in Reducing it?

Neonatal jaundice is one of the most common neonatal problems. About 60% of term and 80% of preterm neonates have jaundice.

Due to the high prevalence of early neonatal jaundice, which can lead to mothers’ concerns and even hospitalization of neonates, we decided to study the frequency and risk factors of breast feeding jaundice to determine the role of gynecologists and nurses in the development of this type of jaundice.

This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The sampling method was by convenience. Study populations included one hundred terms, exclusively breastfed neonates aged equal or less than seven days with jaundice who were admitted in Golestan and Khanevadeh hospitals Tehran, Iran from July 2019 to January 2020.

The percentage of causes of jaundice in the study population was 65% non-breastfeeding jaundice (29 male, 36 female), including 36% blood group incompatibility, 19% Rh incompatibility and 10% G6PD deficiency. The amount of breast feeding jaundice was 35% (18 male, 17 female). The most significant factors in breastfeeding jaundice were: use of water or sugar water, depressed nipple, mother’s unwillingness to breastfeed; inappropriate breastfeeding technique, and birth weight < 2500 g.

The high prevalence of breastfeeding jaundice indicates that policies of breastfeeding education need to be revised. Breastfeeding education before delivery, attention of gynecologists to breast problems of mothers during pregnancy, professional coordination of nurses and physicians for effective breastfeeding training, and early mothers’ revisit after the initial discharge of neonates can reduce the frequency of breastfeeding jaundice and readmission of neonates.