One thing that many new parents aren’t prepared for immediately after delivery is jaundice. It’s not always a topic that comes up during check-ups and even if it does, sometimes you’re too overwhelmed by all the information given to you that when jaundice is listed in a long list of things you might expect, it goes in one ear and right out the other.

For many of us, the only time we’ve ever heard of anyone with jaundice is from episodes of House M.D., and if it was serious enough to make repeat cameos on that show, it must be pretty bad! And when your newborn starts turning yellow, thoughts like “is it the Beijing pollution or did I not get enough sun when I was pregnant” start spinning through your head. But what is jaundice and what’s the actual cause? Our friends at Oasis International Hospital shed some light on the condition.

Jaundice is a condition commonly seen among newborns. It’s a condition that causes the skin and mucus membranes, such as the whites of the eyes and inner lining of the mouth, to become yellow. Mild jaundice normally resolves itself within one to two weeks; this is known as physiologic jaundice. Jaundice that persists and intensifies, however, is known as pathological jaundice and poses a potential risk to the baby’s health. Gaining better insight and understanding into this condition is a prudent step to alleviating unnecessary panic and worry among parents and caregivers.

What causes jaundice?

Jaundice is caused by too much bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a natural yellow substance produced within the body. It is produced when red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body, are broken down. Bilirubin travels through our bloodstream and into the liver where it is processed on and passed out through stool and urine.

Newborns have a much higher level of red blood cells (RBCs) than adults. Fetal RBCs are being frequently replaced with mature RBCs producing more bilirubin, as much as twice an adult. Processing and removal of bilirubin from the bloodstream are slow over the first two weeks due to an underdeveloped liver.

Premature babies

A premature baby is one who is born too early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. A premature baby is more likely than others to have jaundice because his liver is underdeveloped and may feed less, thus having fewer bowel movements resulting in less bilirubin eliminated through the stool.

Breastfed babies

Breastfeeding jaundice or breastfeeding failure occurs during an infant’s first week. This is due to insufficient milk supply that leads to dehydration. Low milk intake causes slower bilirubin elimination and increases enterohepatic circulation (description below) which contributes to the rise in bilirubin.

Breastmilk

Breastmilk contains an enzyme that inhibits the breakdown of bilirubin prolonging the elimination of jaundice in mostly exclusively breastfed babies. It is a benign condition that is harmless and requires no treatment. It is seen after the first week of life and persists beyond two weeks, clearing within 12 weeks. Breastfeeding can still continue as normal.

Contributing conditions

Pathological jaundice, mentioned above, is due to hyperbilirubinemia due to certain conditions or disease processes. This kind of jaundice requires close monitoring and prompt management to prevent complications.

Ineffective red blood cell production, a condition known as Polycythemia, also increases bilirubin production. Examples of these conditions are:

1. Infants of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus.
2. Cephalhematoma – accumulation of blood under the scalp resulting from trauma to the baby’s head passing through a narrow birth canal. This blood accumulation causes red blood cells to be destroyed, thus increasing bilirubin levels.

Abnormally shaped red blood cells also cause jaundice as they are easily destroyed and sequestered by the body contributing to bilirubin production. Examples of this are hereditary spherocytosis.

Treatment

The correct course of jaundice treatment is determined by the cause. Jaundice is monitored through visual inspection and measurement of skin bilirubin. Elevated levels of blood bilirubin will require a blood test to determine an accurate blood bilirubin level.

Adequate hydration

Ensure adequate nutrition and hydration to prevent dehydration and enterohepatic circulation. Adequate feeding will ensure the elimination of bilirubin through the feces.

Phototherapy

This uses the radiance of light to break down bilirubin. It is a safe and effective method to treat hyperbilirubinemia. Infants should be well hydrated to ensure the elimination of bilirubin through feces.

Baby undergoing light therapy at Oasis

Exchange transfusion

Done in extreme cases when bilirubin continues to rise despite intensive phototherapy or other interventions. The infant’s blood will be replaced by a donor’s to rapidly decrease the bilirubin level.

Intravenous immuoglobin (IVIG)

This is usually given in cases of blood incompatibilities with rapidly rising bilirubin levels. It blocks the antibodies that attack and destroy red blood cells. This method can be used to reduce the need for an exchange transfusion.

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Images: Courtesy of Oasis International Hospital

The further along you get in your pregnancy, the more difficult of a time you’ll have getting around the city. At 38 weeks, getting in and out of cars, putting on the seatbelt (because I can no longer see where I’m desperately trying to stick the buckle), the thought of swerving in and out of traffic, and those dreaded speed bumps and potholes makes me think twice before planning a trip anywhere around town.

But social outings aside, the closer you get to your delivery date, the more often you need to visit the hospital for checkups – and those trips are unavoidable…

Recently Oasis international Hospital partnered with ShouYue Chauffeur Service, a car service app that’s got specific types of cars for various needs, to introduce their fleet of Mommy Cars (宝马 bǎomǎ).

Click on the image above to see Mommy Car in action

I called ShouYue’s customer service for a bit more insight into what this new service offers. First, they wanted to ensure that their fleet of Mommy Cars is sanitized multiple times a day. For extra comfort, the cars come with back support pillows, pregnancy seat belts that don’t cut across your belly, and water for the road. For those who can read Chinese, the cars also come with baby-related literature if you want to squeeze in a bit of light reading, assuming you’re one of the lucky ones who don’t feel nauseous in cars.

The Mommy Car drivers know to drive slower and keep the urge for road rage in check, giving moms-to-be a more relaxing car ride experience. The representative from ShouYue wanted to stress that while their fleet of Mommy Cars is created for moms-to-be, they should not be used in case of emergencies like in the case you’re suddenly in labor or if your water breaks. It’s recommended that you reserve your Mommy Car at least an hour in advance as there are not as many Mommy Cars as regular ones.

Mommy Cars can take you anywhere you want in the city

As Dr. Liyun Qian, Gynecologist and Obstetrician at Oasis International Hospital explains, there are things to be more aware of when riding in cars, especially if you’re in the later stage of your pregnancy.

What Should Moms-To-Be Be Mindful of in Cars?

• Try to avoid cars with odors. While this might be a no-brainer because come on, no one likes a stinky car anyway… that fresh new car smell that many of us love also counts as odor too.
• Cars should be free of perfumes and air fresheners as pregnant women (especially those in their first trimester) are more sensitive to smells and may cause nausea and/or vomiting.
• It’s recommended that pregnant women sit in the back seat of the right side of the car since that’s where you’ll get maximum legroom.
• To prevent back pain, leave a small back pillow in the car to give your back some much needed extra support.
• Always buckle up, no matter how short of a distance you’re traveling. If you’re in a car that doesn’t have a pregnancy seatbelt, be sure that you’re buckling the seatbelt above and below your baby bump and not across it.
• Don’t rush to get anywhere. Stay around 60km/hr and avoid speed bumps and potholes as much as possible.
• Keep the road rage in check! So many of Beijing’s drivers swerve between lanes to get to their destination just a few seconds sooner. Take it easy when you’re pregnant. Not only will you feel less stressed, but you’ll also decrease the chances of minor accidents on the road.
• Check behind you before you open the door. Even after you’ve stopped, you never know when a bike will be zipping past you. It’s best to get into a habit of checking first before opening your door.

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Images: Mina Yan, Oasis International Hospital, Unsplash

If there is one thing I’ve learned in the last few months, it’s that the sight of a pregnant belly brings out strange impulses in people. Suddenly, everyone’s an expert on my pregnancy and my baby, except me. It’s not that I don’t appreciate pregnancy hacks and advice, but when I’m constantly getting unsolicited advice on how I should be feeling and what I should be doing, it can get a bit irritating. Superstitions and cultural-specific wisdom, like “you need to eat three boiled goose eggs in your first trimester so that your baby won’t get sick” and “you need to eat lots of grapes so that your baby has big beautiful eyes” are one thing, but perhaps the thing that irritates me the most is all the “oh let me tell you how you’re going to feel” advice from my single male friends. Sorry, but I really don’t need pregnancy mansplained to me.

So that got me thinking, if these guys are so eager to shell out pregnancy advice, maybe they should get a taste of what this whole process actually like. When I discovered that some of Beijing’s maternity hospitals, including Oasis International Hospital actually offer men the chance to experience labor with the childbirth simulation machines, I just had to see this for myself.

It doesn’t look intimidating, but it is…

If you’ve never heard of one before, a labor simulator is a machine with shock pads that are placed where the ovaries are (or would be, for men) and deliver a mild shock for about five minutes. The machine has 10 levels and the nurse controlling the machine can gradually increase the shock level from one to 10. According to the team at Oasis, it’s very rare to see a man make it all the way to level 10. Most give up around levels three or four.

So What Does the Childbirth Simulator Feel Like?

To see the machine in action, we hooked up Oasis International Hospital’s Outreach & Communications Coordinator Joshua Hiller. Thanks for being a good sport!

Getting a firm grip on the couch…

A few seconds into level two Hiller tells us “it feels like someone’s pressing on my groin area and it’s going up to my stomach. It’s slightly ticklish. I can feel the electroshocks going up and down my body.” Level two doesn’t seem so bad…

Turning the machine up to level three and we could start seeing beads of sweat on Hiller’s forehead. “It feels like there’s tightening around my groin and legs. There’s shock going through my whole body” says Hiller through gritted teeth. By level five “the pain jumps around my whole body” and Hiller calls it quits. “Simulation failed” the machine loudly announces. Basically this means that Hiller gave up when his imaginary baby had just started crowning.

“I need an epidural…”

According to the Mayo Clinic, each birthing experience is different and active labor can last four to eight hours or more. This is when the cervix starts to dilate and your contractions become stronger. During our little experiment, Hiller only lasted about 10 minutes with the childbirth simulator, although that was probably long enough to give him a bit of perspective on what giving birth is really like.

At Oasis International Hospital the labor simulation machine is a complimentary experience available for all expecting parents and staff encourage expecting dads to make an appointment to try it, so they can better understand what their partner will be going through in a few short months. But it’s not only for dads: moms-to-be are also encouraged to try it, as the simulation machine can give you a taste of what labor pains feels like, although the real thing is a much deeper and longer experience.

Aside from Hillier, we spoke to a few other men who have tested out the labor simulation machine, and they said that it was a whole different type of pain that what they’ve ever experienced before. Just a few short minutes of being hooked up to the labor simulator, and they confessed to feeling exhausted like they’ve just ran a marathon, saying that no amount of workouts or time under a tattoo needle could have ever prepared them for it.

To watch Hiller’s experience with the labor simulator click on the photo below:

Oasis International Hospital is a full-service private hospital with international standard medical care. Its medical team provides patient-centered care in a comforting and stress free atmosphere. Oasis offers a full array of inpatient and outpatient services under one roof. Departments include dental, dermatology, emergency care, ENT, mental health, OB/GYN, orthopedics, opthalmology, pediatrics, surgery, traditional Chinese medicine, urology, and more. The state-of-the-art hospital features surgical theaters, ER, ICU, NICU, and a medical imaging center with MRI and CT. Homelike private rooms and delivery suites offer comfort, safety, and privacy for patients and their guests. Direct billing is available for most insurance providers.

9 Jiuxianqiao Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥北路9号
Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm (some clinics open from 8.30am-12.30pm), daily 24hrs emergency care
Tel: 400 UR OASIS (876 2747)

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Sources: www.mayoclinic.org

Photos: Uni You, Christian Bowen on Unsplash

You’re getting rounder by the day as you near your due date and your mind has naturally started to turn to the practicalities of the delivery itself, including what you bring to the hospital. This isn’t like packing for a regular holiday or staycation, and leaving it until the last minute definitely isn’t the way to go.

Most hospitals will give you a list of recommended items to pack in your hospital or ‘go bag’, and a quick Google search will help fill in the blanks for the rest. But we found that after a few searches, the length of the packing lists varied pretty drastically and really depend on where you are going to be giving birth. One mom who delivered her baby in a small town in rural China, for example, recommended packing things that you would generally never expect to provide, ranging from snacks and drinks to kitchen towels and plastic buckets to wash your face in afterward. Depending on where you’re choosing to deliver your baby, the amenities provided by the hospitals will vary and so will the regulations.

Local Chinese hospitals recommend you pack the following:
Bed pads (like the kind pets use for potty training)
Adult diapers
Cotton tissues
Disposable underwear
Red Bull and chocolate (yes, really!)
Straws and cups
Baby diapers
Baby clothes
Slippers
Comfortable cotton clothing
A hat for mom when you leave the hospital

Oasis International Hospital they recommend moms bring clothes for mom, blankets, a hat for leaving the hospital, but you do not need to pack baby clothes unless you want your child to wear what you’ve selected. Otherwise your brand new baby can go home in the stylish new attire prepared for by the hospital. They also recommend that Chinese national moms bring health records, passports of ID cards of both parents which will be used for processing the birth certificate, and finally books and music to help you feel at ease.

International hospitals like Oasis will prepare things like sanitary towels, toiletries, disposable underwear, diapers, absorbent bed pads, bum cream, disposable breast pump attachments, along with little extras for you to always remember the special day by like gift basket with brand new baby clothes and newborn photos. In short, hospitals like Oasis, Beijing United Family Hospital, and AmCare have maternity rooms that are designed like hotels, with all your essentials ready, and meals will be prepared based on your dietary restrictions.

You won’t be leaving the hospital immediately after delivery which means that aside from stylish fashion apparel, there are a few necessities that’ll help you ease into your first few days of motherhood like nipple creams and breast pumps if you’ve already purchased one. For germaphobes like myself, I always travel with my own set of towels and a nifty travel linen set that is essentially like a big sleeping bag that easily covers the pillow, mattress, and comforter of any bed. On Taobao they start from around RMB 35 and can be found by searching 旅行床单 (lǚxíng chuángdān).

PJs? No PJ? Sleep in whatever you like.

If you own a car, you’ll also need to figure out how to use your car seat before you need to head to the hospital. But if you’re planning on taking a Didi home, there are strollers like the Doona Car Seat & Stroller that collapses into an infant car seat and comes highly recommend by Beijing parents who don’t drive.

The Doona car seat stroller in action

And What About Your Partner?

While they’re not the star of the show, your partner has still got a big part to play. Make sure that your partner also has a hospital go-bag ready so that they’re not dropping you off in the hospital and running home to pack their own stuff. Nobody needs that extra stress.

If you’re delivering in a local hospital, be sure to have cash on hand. Unlike international hospitals, some local hospitals will only accept cash before performing any sort of procedure. And when we say cash, we mean physical bills that come out of the ATM. Remember those? Don’t assume that WeChat and Alipay will always be accepted in hospitals.

Partners should pack their favorite pillows and preferred toiletries as well (but leave the cologne at home). After all, they’re also not going anywhere for a while, so they might as well be as comfortable as possible. Just don’t overpack on the clothes. Pack stuff that’s functional instead of purely stylish.

You and your partner can also pack some of your favorite snacks, especially if they’re the kind that’s hard to find in local supermarkets. Just don’t go overboard with the snacks, as you’re only going to be there for a few days and delivery apps like elema and Meituan can be quick convenient ways to get your favorites delivered right to the hospital front door so there’s no need to pack a whole case of Red Bull no matter how tempting it may be. For entertainment, my husband and I love movies so you can be sure we’re packing our portable projector in his hospital go-bag so that we can watch our favorite movies instead of the local Chinese channels. Basically it comes down to “what can I stick in a carry-on size suitcase that’ll make both of us feel right at home?”

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Source: www.chinaslostpanda.com
Photos: raspberryglow.com, shopdoona.com