Jaundice

My baby is yellow, how come?

Jaundice

The skin's appearance is often a good way of telling what is happening in your child's body. Parents can often tell if their child is sick by the color of their skin. A sick child may appear pale, flushed, rosy or bluish. If your child is jaundiced, their skin will have a yellowish tint and their eyes or fingernail beds may also appear yellowish. Jaundice is the result of the body's inability to properly dispose of a normally occurring chemical called bilirubin. When red blood cells become old, at approximately 120 days, they collapse and produce bilirubin. The liver processes bilirubin and it is eventually expelled when your child has a bowel movement. Jaundice can be a result of red blood cells dissolving too quickly or a hepatitis infection.

A large number of newborns will experience a slight amount of jaundice in the first few days of life while their livers begin to function outside of the womb. Their liver must begin to produce the enzymes to handle the breakdown of bilirubin. As long as there are no problems with the baby and mother's blood compatibility and no infection, the baby is considered to have a temporary form of jaundice. If the baby appears quite yellow, blood measurements of the bilirubin will be taken to make sure the levels are not too high. Levels under 20 are generally safe, except for babies that are very sick, premature or very small.

A very small amount of breastfed babies will have a mild form of jaundice because their mothers produce a substance in their milk that impedes the processing of bilirubin. This generally goes away a few weeks into breastfeeding.

If you notice a yellowish tint to your child's skin and your doctor is not aware of the problem, call your child's doctor to schedule an appointment. If your child's doctor is aware of the jaundice and it is getting worse you should also call the paediatrician for another evaluation. The doctor will want to make sure that your child has not developed a hepatitis infection.

Treatment for jaundice varies. Home treatment may include the use of natural sunlight to promote the proper distribution of bilirubin. Placing your baby in front of an open door or window will help the jaundice. Newborns may need to be placed under blue fluorescent lights which cause an increased processing and elimination of bilirubin. The infant`s eyes should be well shielded from the lights during treatment. Most paediatricians recommend increased nursing to encourage more bowel movements to rid the body of the excess bilirubin.

Comments: Jaundice

Comments 1 to 6 of about 6.

Zaviersmommy - 1316 days ago.
My son had jaundice also and it went away in just 1 week he is now 24 days old and pinkish white lol

mom of 7 and 1 on the way - 1342 days ago.
My sons jaundice levels were 19.0 when we found out a week after birth he had it. He was under bili lights for 2 weeks and his levels were 13.1. He is now 4 weeks old tomorrow and his levels are 12.6. I hope he gets better soon.

luvbeingamom - 1618 days ago.
Sun- If his color doesn't go back to normal in the next day or so i would definatly call the doc. Jaundice is caused by the liver not working. So if he is becoming jaundice again.. it is cause for concern. Though i agree, to much of one color food can effect things, i am just not sure it spreads to the skin, def the poop, but not sure on the skin. It never hurts to call and ask a professional opinion.

sunshinemaria - 1618 days ago.
Does anyone know if babies can get jaundice later? My baby had it at first but now he's 8.5 months and has taken on a yellow tint to his skin. His eyes are not yellow though and he's certainly not acting as though anything's wrong. My hubby wants me to call the doctor but I just don't think it's a big deal. I think it's just b/c I give him lots of yellow veggies (and not enough green). Thoughts, anyone?

RobinG - 1644 days ago.
((())) My first son was a 16. We had him under the lights for 4 days and were in hospital for 6. I was a mess but nurses kept saying he would be fine and he was :) I did have to give him formula from a bottle because they said it was very important they know how many oz he is taking in. We took him for blood work the week after we got home and he was fine. We also kept his cradle near the window so he got sun light too :) Hugs, I know how hard it is, your LO should be fine as long as she is getting light therapy :)

beckyclark - 1645 days ago.
my baby will be 5 days old and her jaundice level is 16.5. She has a machine that she lays in and it's supposed to help. I am very scared that it won;t help. If you believe in prayer please pray for my baby alexandria nichole.