- Many babies look yellow in the first week of life. This is due to a build-up of bilirubin in the baby’s blood and tissues.
- Bilirubin is a yellow pigment, and a normal breakdown product of red blood cells.
- Red blood cells are constantly being made and broken down, especially in babies.
- Bilirubin is broken down by the liver and then eliminated from the body in the urine and stool.
- Because of the immaturity of a newborn’s liver, bilirubin is sometimes not cleared quickly. The result is bilirubin getting distributed throughout the body, which makes the skin look yellow.
- If it’s going to, jaundice usually develops over the first two to five days of life.
- If too much bilirubin builds up in the body, it can make the baby sick.
- Bilirubin levels can be measured in the blood or by placing a sensor on the skin.
- Babies who have a high level according to the skin sensor screening need to have a blood test to confirm the bilirubin level.
- If a high blood bilirubin is measured, your baby may need to be placed under special “bili lights” (aka phototherapy), which help bring the level down.
- Once resolved, jaundice does not typically recur.
- After you go home, if the baby appears to be increasingly yellow, contact our office at (804) 282-4205.