Jaundice of the Newborn: Brief Version
What is jaundice?
Jaundice is when your new baby has yellow looking skin. The whites of your baby's eyes may be yellow.
This happens for these reasons:
- Normal jaundice. The baby's liver just isn't ready yet to get rid of the yellow pigment called bilirubin on its own. This type of jaundice starts when the baby is 2 or 3 days old. It goes away by the time your baby is 2 weeks old. This happens in about half of all babies.
- Breast-feeding jaundice happens when your baby does not drink enough breast milk.
- Breast-milk jaundice does not happen very often. It happens when the mother's milk has a certain substance that causes jaundice. It starts when the baby is 4 to 7Â days old. It may last 3 to 10Â weeks.
- Rh or ABO problems. This is a serious type of jaundice. It most often starts the first day of life.
How can I help my baby with breast-feeding or breast-milk jaundice?
Breast-feed more often. This can help lower the bilirubin.
- Nurse your baby every 1-and-1/2 to 2-and-1/2 hours.
- If your baby sleeps more than 4Â hours at night, awaken him for a feeding.
Call your baby's doctor right away if:
- You think your baby is not getting enough fluid.
- Your baby has jaundice during the first 24Â hours of life.
- Your baby looks deep yellow or orange.
- Your baby hasn't urinated in more than 8 hours.
- Your baby gets a fever.
- Your baby also starts to look or act sick.
Call your baby's doctor during office hours if:
- Your baby looks deep yellow or orange.
- Your baby is not getting enough milk or gaining weight well.
- Your baby has fewer than three good-sized BMs per day.
- Your baby has fewer than six wet diapers per day.
- The jaundice is not gone by day 14.
- You have other concerns or questions.
Written by Barton D. Schmitt, MD, author of “My Child Is Sickâ€, American Academy of Pediatrics Books.
Pediatric Advisor 2012.1 published by RelayHealth.
Last modified: 2007-04-19
Last reviewed: 2011-06-06
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.
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