Brandon O., 1

Brandon is a 3-week-old infant born to a 19-year-old mother who currently lives with her aunt. After being kicked out by her parents upon discovering her pregnancy, the young mother, along with the baby’s father, was taken in by her aunt. They now reside in a modest two-room semi-permanent house. The aunt supports the household through manual labor and small-scale farming. The mother had dropped out of school in class 8. She first suspected she was pregnant when she missed her periods and confirmed it using a test kit given by a friend. Afraid of her parents' reaction, she kept it a secret and only informed the baby’s father, who works as a home caretaker. At four months, her health began to deteriorate, prompting her to confess to her parents. In anger, they sent her to live with the baby’s father, but instead, she moved in with her aunt. From there, she consistently attended seven antenatal care visits. On the day of delivery, her labor began around 9:00 a.m., but complications led to prolonged labor until 4:00 a.m. She was then referred to Siaya County Referral Hospital, where she received immediate care and delivered normally. However, upon examination, the newborn was found to be jaundiced and was admitted to the nursery for treatment.

Brandon was born, and the doctor observed he was yellow. He was diagnosed with neonatal jaundice; this condition makes the person appear yellow. Being an infant, he was admitted to the nursery for management. He received phototherapy and antibiotics, to which he responded to well and became stable. Brandon was discharged on multivitamin syrup to boost his immunity and amoxicillin syrup, an antibiotic to take at home. A call to the mother revealed the infant was doing well and was no longer yellow and was breastfeeding remarkably well.

While neonatal jaundice is a common condition in newborns, it's generally not fatal and most cases resolve without complications. However, if left untreated, very high levels of bilirubin (the substance causing jaundice) can lead to a serious complication called kernicterus, which can cause brain damage and even death The patient's jaundice was noticed immediately and treatment commenced before kernicterus ocuured leading to brain damage and the child is set to make a full recovery