Baby Stacy A., 1

Baby Stacy is the firstborn child of a teenage mother who is still in school. They live together with Stacy’s grandmother and cousin in a small iron sheet house. The young mother relies entirely on her elderly mother, who is a peasant farmer with no stable source of income. During delivery, Stacy’s mother experienced prolonged labor and required a cesarean section. At birth, Baby Stacy was observed to have yellowish skin and a slight yellowing of the eyes, indicating jaundice. She was subsequently admitted to the newborn unit for further medical care.

When baby Stacy was born, doctors noticed her skin was yellow; she was diagnosed with neonatal jaundice and therefore admitted to the newborn unit for management. She stayed in the unit for seven days receiving phototherapy, IV benzylpenicillin and IV gentamicin. She responded well to treatment and was duly discharged on orals. A call to her mother revealed that Baby stacy was doing well, and even breastfeeding well, and her skin color is normal

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