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 turn 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 7 days old. It may last 3 to 10 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 4 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 24 hours of life.
• Your baby looks deep yellow or orange. Or the baby’s legs look yellow.
• 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 within 24 hours if:

• The whites of your baby’s eyes turn yellow.
• 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.