Question

• Describe the impact of alcohol on mother’s milk.

• Explain causes of hyperbilirubinemia and ways to prevent kernicterus.

• List at least two ways health professionals can help the mother of multiples face the challenges of breastfeeding.

• Identify at least three factors that contribute to increased readmission rates for late-preterm infants.

Answer 1

The effects of alcohol on milk production depends on the amount or the quantity ingested.Alcohol if consumed in larger amounts will not effect the baby.But if it was taken in larger amounts it causes drowsiness, deep sleep, weakness, abnormal weight gain in infant and also possibly decreased milk ejection reflex in the mother which makes lesser amount of milk production.

Hyperbilirubinemia in infants occurs because the infant blood consists of excessive bilirubin levels ad as infants liver is not enough matured to fight against these excessive levels which results in excessive accumulation of bilirubin.Kernicterus can be avoided by prompt treatment that is phototherapy and exchange blood transfusions.

The two ways that health care professionals can assist mothers in breast feeding is

• Hold and support one baby , and help the mother to feed both the babies at a time
• They can educate the techniques of feeding both the babies enough and also ways to get high amounts of breast milk.

The three factors that causes increased readmission rates in preterm infants are

Jaundice

Pneumonia

​​​​​​​Bronchiolitis