Breast Milk Management in the Efforts to Reduce Bilirubin Levels in Neonatal Jaundice

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The baby’s delay in getting nutrition in the form of breast milk caused direct bilirubin that has reached the intestines not being bound by food and not taken out through the anus with food. In the intestine, this direct bilirubin is converted into indirect bilirubin which will be reabsorbed into the blood and this condition will cause a persistence hyperbilirubinemia condition. Hyperbilirubinemia becomes an emergency that often occurs in newborns and is characterized by the occurrence of neonatal icterus. AIM: The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of breast milk management on the reduction of bilirubin levels in neonatal jaundiced infants that receive phototherapy. METHODS: The design of this study used a quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. Sampling was done by consecutive sampling and obtained 52 respondents. This research was conducted for 4 months from April 2021 to July 2021 at the Surabaya Ahmad Yani Islamic Hospital. This study was divided into two groups, namely, the intervention group which was given phototherapy therapy by maximizing breast milk management and the control group only undergoing phototherapy. Data analysis in this study used Chi-square test for univariate variables and bivariate variables using paired t-test and independent t-test. CONCLUSIONS: Good lactation management will have a major effect on bilirubin levels in infants receiving phototherapy. Hence, there needs a motivation for the parents, especially mothers, in exclusive breastfeeding without adding formula milk or using any breast milk substitutes so that the length of care for babies with neonatal icterus is faster and the baby’s nutrition can be fulfilled in a balanced way.