What is neonatal jaundice?

Yellow skin: A yellow color to skin and eyes is called "jaundice." almost all newborns have a little bit of jaundice, but if the levels get too high there can be serious problems caused by this. The measurement of the level of jaundice is called bilirubin, a blood test.

Liver dysfunction: Jaundice in the newborn period can result from blood group incompatibility (mother o, baby a or b, or mother rh - and baby rh+). Most often, it is related to immaturity of the liver in processing bilirubin, and it is also often related to breastfeeding and worsened by dehydration. Sometimes your baby's bilirubin level may be high enough to need phototherapy or a "bili blanket.".

More serious causes: In rare cases, neonatal jaundice may have a more serious cause such as a type of hemolytic anemia in which red blood cells break up and cause high levels of bilirubin. In these cases, an exchange transfusion may be necessary. If your baby has jaundice, ask your baby's doctor if it's from a common or a more serious cause, and what type of treatment is required. Sometimes, no treatment is needed.

Jaundice, 0-4 wk old: Neonatal jaundice is jaundice in the first 4 weeks of life. Jaundice is the yellowish color of the skin, a coloring that can be seen in the eyes. The color is caused by increased levels of "bilirubin" in the body. Increased bilirubin occurs if the body cannot get rid of the normal amount of bilirubin produced inside the body each day, and/or the body is producing extra amounts of bilirubin.