Newborn Jaundice—Why New Parents Shouldn’t Worry
About 60% of newborns develop jaundice, but why is it so common? Here’s what it means if your baby is diagnosed with jaundice.
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Jaundice may be one of those things you never think about during pregnancy, but it's a very common condition in newborns.
As soon as your baby is born, and during their first few pediatrician appointments, your baby’s care team will examine them for signs of jaundice (among several other conditions). If your baby is diagnosed with jaundice, don’t worry—it’s usually not a threatening condition. Read on to learn what exactly jaundice is and how it’s treated.
What is jaundice?
“Jaundice in newborns is a condition characterized by yellowing of the skin and eyes, attributed to elevated levels of bilirubin in the bloodstream,” says Dr. Joel “Gator” Warsh, an LA-based pediatrician and author of Parenting at Your Child's Pace: The Integrative Pediatrician’s Guide to the First Three Years.
Bilirubin is a yellow-pigmented substance that naturally occurs in the body—it’s technically a waste product since it’s created during the breakdown of old red blood cells. Like all waste products in the bloodstream, bilirubin goes through the liver to be filtered out of the body (it’s part of what gives urine its yellow color).
But a baby’s liver isn’t fully developed until they’re about two years old, so newborns can have a tough time filtering out all that bilirubin, Dr. Gator says. As the bilirubin accumulates in baby’s bloodstream, the yellow pigment starts to show up in their skin, giving it a yellowish tint known as hepatic jaundice.
Signs of jaundice
While yellow skin is the most well-known sign of jaundice, it often can be difficult for new parents to spot, especially if your baby has darker skin. To help you (and your pediatrician) identify jaundice, there are a few signs you should look out for. The yellow tint can also show up in the whites of baby’s eyes, and they might also have “dark urine, pale-colored stools and, in severe cases, lethargy and poor feeding,” says ob-gyn Dr. PK Tan.
When does jaundice occur in babies?
“Jaundice is most common in newborns and typically appears within the first few days of life,” Dr. Tan says. So there’s a good chance that, if your baby has jaundice, it’ll start to show before you leave the hospital. But if you begin to see signs after you’ve come home, be sure to call your pediatrician as soon as possible so it can be identified and treated quickly.
While it’s true that babies (and adults) of any age can have jaundice, an estimated 60 percent of full-term newborns and as many as 80 percent of preterm babies experience jaundice.
Jaundice risk factors
As we said before, jaundice is extremely common in newborns. But, Dr. Tan says there are a few factors that can lead to even further reduced liver function and increase a baby’s risk of developing jaundice.
Premature birth. Babies born before 37 weeks gestation may have even less mature liver function than full-term babies.
Poor feeding. Not getting enough breast milk or formula can increase the risk of jaundice.
Blood type incompatibility. If the mother’s blood type is different from the baby's, it can lead to an increased breakdown of red blood cells in the newborn, and their liver may not be able to keep up with filtering the higher volume.
Bruising during birth. Extensive bruising can cause a higher number of red blood cells to break down, increasing bilirubin levels. It’s pretty common for newborns to end up with a few bruises during birth, especially on their face and head, thanks to the pressure of the birth canal.
Family history. A family history of poor liver function and jaundice can increase baby’s risk of having it, too.
Can you prevent jaundice?
Since jaundice in newborns is typically just a result of their naturally underdeveloped liver, it’s not usually entirely preventable. But you can still take certain steps to help reduce the risk, Dr. Tan says.
Make sure your baby is eating well, whether breastmilk or formula, to promote regular bowel movements so the bilirubin can get out of their system.
Monitor babies who are more at risk more closely, like preemie babies or those with a family history of jaundice.
Have regular check-ups with your pediatrician to detect and manage jaundice quickly.
How to treat jaundice in babies
While jaundice and its causes may not always be preventable, they’re definitely treatable.
“The treatment approach for jaundice varies based on its severity,” Dr. Gator says. Mild cases can be managed by making sure baby is eating regularly and getting enough hydration to flush out all that extra bilirubin, he says. According to Dr. Tan, as long as feeding is going well, mild cases usually resolve in about one to two weeks.
But “moderate to severe cases may require phototherapy, involving exposure to specialized lights that facilitate bilirubin breakdown in the skin,” Dr. Gator says. You may have seen pictures of what looks like a tanning bed for newborns (complete with little eye protection goggles)—don’t worry, your baby won’t come out with a tan. The blue-green lights (not UV lights) are totally safe, and they’ll likely only need the treatment for less than a day, though the most severe cases may warrant up to a week with phototherapy.
If your baby requires phototherapy, they may be treated at the hospital, but your pediatrician may have other options, too. Alainna, a mom of two whose first baby was born with jaundice, was given a phototherapy kit to help treat her baby at home. "Instead of sending us back to the hospital to treat his jaundice, the pediatrician ordered a biliblanket and bilibed to our home," she says. "We were ordered to keep him in the bilibed or under the biliblanket as much as possible, around the clock, which was hard when he cried and wanted to be held." Alainna and her husband were still able to prioritize skin-to-skin contact, though, by holding their baby with the light therapy blanket on top. Note: If you're curious about whether a bilibed and/or biliblanket will work for your baby, talk to your pediatrician first.
In rare instances, Dr. Gator says, your baby may need a blood transfusion, but that’s only if phototherapy hasn’t been successful.
When to be concerned about jaundice
While jaundice is typically not threatening to babies, it should still be carefully monitored, Dr. Gator says.
“Untreated high bilirubin levels can lead to complications like kernicterus, a form of brain damage,” he says, so while mild cases usually resolve on their own, severe or persistent jaundice needs immediate medical attention and treatment.
If you’re concerned about whether your baby’s jaundice will affect you or anyone else, don’t worry.
“Contrary to some misconceptions, jaundiced babies are not contagious,” Dr. Gator says. “Jaundice itself serves as a symptom rather than an infectious disease; it reflects the infant's bilirubin levels and liver function rather than being caused by any transmissible agent. As a prevalent condition among newborns, jaundice poses no risk of transmission to others.”
So unless you’ve been told otherwise by your pediatrician, your baby is safe to be around the rest of your family and friends, and they’ll all still get to meet baby for the first time when you're ready.
Babylist content uses high-quality subject matter experts to provide accurate and reliable information to our users. Sources for this story include:
Dr. Joel “Gator” Warsh, pediatrician and author of Parenting at Your Child's Pace: The Integrative Pediatrician’s Guide to the First Three Years
Dr. PK Tan, ob-gyn and senior consultant specialist at PK Women's Clinic
Seminars in Neonatology: "Hepatic function and physiology in the newborn"
