Jaundice refers to the yellowish colour that some newborn babies turn shortly after they are born. There is a yellow tinge to the skin and the whites of the eyes, caused by a higher than normal level of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a reddish to yellow water pigment that occurs in the blood. There are several types of jaundice that can occur in newborns. The most common type is physiologic jaundice, occurring in more than 50% of babies.
We all have red blood cells circulating through our bodies that deliver oxygen to our lungs. These red blood cells wear out all the time and are replaced by brand new ones. Normally, the worn-out cells are broken down by the liver into bilirubin and other substances. They are then expelled from our bodies in our urine and stool.
Like many newborns, your baby’s liver may not be mature at birth. It is very likely your baby’s liver will process bilirubin more slowly. The excess bilirubin is therefore deposited in the skin and whites of the eyes of your baby, which appear yellow. You won’t have to worry about this early jaundice while your baby is in the hospital, because the bilirubin level will be monitored by a blood test. However, many of you will be taking your babies home on the second or third day after birth, when the effects of jaundice first become really noticeable. It peaks between 3 and 5 days after birth, but it usually disappears by 1 to 2 weeks of age. You will need to monitor this type of jaundice for yourselves at home.
Because most babies leave the hospital within 24 to 60 hours after birth, you will need to monitor the degree of jaundice in your newborn. How will you know if your baby has become jaundiced? If any of the following signs appear in your baby, contact your baby’s healthcare provider for more detailed instructions on how to handle your particular situation.
- Your baby has yellow skin and/or yellow in the whites of the eyes. (Jaundice is first noticeable in the head and then proceeds gradually towards the abdomen and extremities.) To best judge the amount of yellowness in the skin and/or eyes, look your baby over in natural light – by a window is a good spot.
- Your baby is not waking up to eat and/or not feeding well.
- Your baby is sleepy all of the time.
- Your baby has had at least a 7% drop in body weight in the first 72 hours after birth.