Newborn jaundice

Jaundice describes a yellow tinge to the skin and to the whites of the eyes. It can be difficult to detect in babies with darker skin tones, but might be obvious if you look at their gums, the palms of their hands or the soles of their feet. Read more about spotting the signs of jaundice in black and brown babies here.

Yellowing of the skin is usually more noticeable on the head and face, the yellowing may also increase if you gently press an area of skin down with your finger. 

 A newborn baby with jaundice can also: 

• Be sleepy 
• Not want to feed or not feed as well as usual 
• Have dark yellow urine or pale poo 

Babies are born with extra red blood cells, and in the process of getting rid of these, their bodies make a substance called bilirubin, which is then broken down by the liver. In the first few days of life, a baby’s liver isn’t yet working very efficiently, so the amount of bilirubin in the blood can build up, causing the skin to look a bit yellow.

As a baby grows, their liver starts working more effectively, so the jaundice fades away gradually. Frequency of feeding (2-3 hourly) can help speed up this process, but sometimes bilirubin makes babies sleepy, so you may need to wake your baby for feeds.

Breastfed babies are more likely to have jaundice for longer than formula-fed babies.

If your baby is less than 24 hours old and you suspect they have jaundice, seek immediate medical attention by contacting your GP or 111.

Check the colour of your baby’s wee and poo. Normal urine (wee) is colourless and not persistently darker than you would expect, and a couple of days after birth, your baby’s poo should be a yellow colour. If you think there may be a problem, talk to your midwife or health visitor straightaway. This applies at any age, and whether there is jaundice present or not.

If your baby still has jaundice at two weeks old (or three weeks old if they were born before 37 weeks), your midwife or health visitor will arrange for your baby to have a blood and urine (wee) test (known as a prolonged jaundice screen) so more serious medical problems can be ruled out.

In some cases this might require them to have phototherapy – a treatment which involves shining ultraviolet light on the baby’s skin. Don’t try and recreate this by exposing your baby to direct sunlight. It won’t work in the same way, and could lead to sunburn or overheating. 

If at any time you think that the jaundice is getting more obvious, then don’t wait for your next midwife or health visitor appointment, seek medical attention.

Call 999 immediately if your baby has jaundice and:

• is feeding poorly 
• is irritable 
• has a high-pitched cry 
• has no startle reflex 
• is sleepier than usual 
• has brief pauses in breathing 
• their muscles become unusually floppy, like a rag doll 
• you have serious or urgent medical concerns about your child 

Call 111 or speak to a GP if:

• your baby is less than 24 hours old and you suspect they have jaundice
• your baby develops signs of jaundice after their newborn physical examination
• your baby still has jaundice at two weeks old
• you think that the jaundice is getting worse or your baby has a reluctance to feed