Jaundice in a newborn baby is the yellow coloring of their skin and the whites of their eyes. It is common in babies and is not the same as jaundice in adults. The medical term for jaundice in babies is neonatal jaundice. If your baby has jaundice, they need to be seen by a health care provider. Your baby may look jaundiced on their first or second day of life. Often you will not see it until the second or third day. Jaundice will often go away over one to two weeks (3 weeks for preterm babies) and does not cause any long-term problems for most babies. Sometimes jaundice needs to be treated (see below). Breast milk jaundice may develop 5–7 days after birth and is a harmless type of jaundice. There is no need to stop breastfeeding. Check with your health care provider if you think your baby has breast milk jaundice.
Signs and symptoms
A baby with jaundice has skin that looks yellow. It starts on the face, then the chest and stomach, and then the legs. The whites of a baby's eyes also look yellow. Babies with very high bilirubin levels may be sleepy, fussy, floppy, or have trouble feeding.
Jaundice may be hard to see, especially in babies with dark skin. If you're unsure, gently press the skin on your baby's nose or forehead. If it's jaundice, the skin will appear yellow when you lift your finger
When to see a doctor?
Most hospitals have a policy of examining babies for jaundice before discharge. Your baby should be examined for jaundice between the third and seventh day after birth when bilirubin levels usually peak. If your baby is discharged earlier than 72 hours after birth, make a follow-up appointment to look for jaundice within two days of discharge.
The following signs or symptoms may indicate severe jaundice or complications from excess bilirubin. Call your doctor if:
- Your baby's skin becomes more yellow
- The skin on your baby's abdomen, arms, or legs looks yellow
- The whites of your baby's eyes look yellow
- Your baby seems sick or is difficult to awaken
- Your baby isn't gaining weight or is feeding poorly
- Your baby makes high-pitched cries medical care if you have severe vaginal bleeding or sharp pelvic pain that comes on suddenly.
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/142300/c-jaundice.pdf
https://patient.info/childrens-health/neonatal-jaundice-leaflet
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infant-jaundice/symptoms-causes/syc-20373865