What home-care instructions support newborn jaundice assessment?

• A. Expose the baby to direct sunlight for several hours daily.
• B. Encourage frequent feeding to promote bowel movements; seek evaluation if jaundice appears in the first 24 hours or persists beyond day 7 in term infants.
• C. Limit feeding to reduce bilirubin.
• D. Use warm compresses on the abdomen.

Answer: (B)

The idea is that how you feed a newborn and when you seek care matter for jaundice because they affect bilirubin elimination and the need for evaluation. Encouraging frequent feedings promotes more stool output, and bilirubin is excreted in stool, so regular feeding helps clear bilirubin from the body and can lessen jaundice. It’s important to know when to seek evaluation: if jaundice appears within the first 24 hours after birth or lasts beyond day 7 in a term baby, this could indicate a problem that needs medical assessment. Direct sunlight is not a reliable or safe treatment for jaundice and isn’t recommended. Limiting feeding would reduce bilirubin elimination and worsen jaundice. Warm abdominal compresses don’t influence bilirubin processing and aren’t indicated.