Neonatal Jaundice

Neonatal jaundice is one of the most common conditions needing medical attention in new-born babies. Jaundice refers to yellow colouration of the skin and the sclera (the white of the eye).

What causes my baby to develop jaundice?

Jaundice is caused by a raised level of bilirubin in your baby’s blood.  Bilirubin is a yellowish pigment found in bile, a fluid made by the liver.

In your baby’s first days of life bilirubin levels are higher than normal.  Jaundice occurs when the level of bilirubin builds up faster than a new-born’s liver can break it down and pass it from the body. It usually develops 2 to 3 days after the birth and gets better without treatment by the time your baby is around 2 weeks old.

What are the signs and symptoms of jaundice?

Your baby may have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Yellow skin.
•  Yellowing in the whites of their eyes.
• Poor feeding or not waking up for feeds (every 4 hours)
• A high pitched cry.
• Become limp (floppy).
• Dark, yellow urine (a new born baby’s urine should be colourless).
• Pale stools (poo).

Are there different types of jaundice?

The most common types of jaundice are:

• Physiological (normal) jaundice. This is the most common form of jaundice, which is due to the immaturity (young age) of your baby’s liver.

• Breastfeeding can increase the risk of them developing jaundice, the reason for this is not known. However, in most cases the benefits of breastfeeding far outweighs any risks that is associated with jaundice.

• Blood group incompatibility (Rh or ABO problems).  If a baby has a different blood type than their mother, the mother may produce antibodies that destroy the baby’s red blood cells.  This creates a sudden build-up of bilirubin in the baby’s blood.

• Prolonged new-born jaundice.  Jaundice which lasts longer than 2 weeks. This can happen if your baby was born prematurely (early) or is only breast fed. This will usually improve without any treatment, however, further tests may be needed to check for other health problems.

How is jaundice diagnosed?

A blood test may be used to check the level of bilirubin in your baby’s blood.

How is jaundice treated?

In most babies jaundice is harmless.

In mild – moderate levels your baby will be able to correct their own levels of jaundice without intervention (treatment) by 1 to 2 weeks of age.  Usually hospital admission is not needed.

If a baby has a high level of bilirubin they will need to be admitted to hospital for further treatment.  This treatment is called phototherapy.  A special light will be placed over your baby’s cot or incubator.  Your baby will be undressed and will need to wear special phototherapy eye patches to protect their eyes from the light.

This treatment will help reduce the extra bilirubin in your baby.

Once your baby starts phototherapy they will need regular blood tests to make sure the level of bilirubin is falling.

In rare cases, your baby may need a blood exchange transfusion.  If this happens your baby may need to be transferred to a specialist hospital.

If a baby with a high level of bilirubin is left untreated it can cause kernicterus.  This is serious and may lead to your baby developing hearing problems and suffer permanent brain damage. 

Kernicterus is very rare in the UK.  This can affect less than 1 baby in every 100,000.¹

How long will my baby be in hospital?

Every baby is different and the length of stay in hospital is dependent on how your baby responds to phototherapy. Your doctor or nurse will be able to guide you as to how your baby is progressing.

Contact Numbers

University Hospital of North Tees

Children’s Ward 

Telephone: 01642 382815 

24 hours a day, 7 days a week 

Children and Young People Emergency Department 

Telephone: 01642 382799

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Ward 22 Post Natal Ward

Telephone: 01642 382722

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Further information is available from:

NHS Choices

Telephone: 111 (when it is less urgent than 999)

Calls to this number are free from landlines and mobile phones or via the website at www.nhs.uk   

Reference

1. UK National screening committee-neonatal screening for kernicterus.  July 2011

2. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/jaundice-newborn

Information used in the development of this leaflet:

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG98 – Neonatal Jaundice

Comments, concerns, compliments or complaints

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