Symptoms and Causes of Jaundice in Newborns

Infants jaundice is yellowing of their skin and eyes. You may feel yellowish color or paleness in their little nails too. It is common and very normal in new born babies. Jaundice can take place when new born babies have increased level of bilirubin, which is a yellow pigment generated in between the process of regular breakdown of red blood cells (RBCs).

New born jaundice is a common disorder specifically in the babies before the completion of 9 months or before 38 weeks’ pregnancy (premature babies) and also some breast-fed babies. It commonly occurs when the infant’s liver is not developed enough to clear out the bilirubin from the blood. If the baby’s jaundice stays for more than two weeks then doctors may perform some other blood and urine tests to track the underlying conditions.

In some cases untreated jaundice may lead to brain damage and can be fatal.

Causes of Infant Jaundice:

Excess bilirubin is the key cause of infant jaundice which is also known as hyperbilirubinemia which is the production house of yellow pigmentation of jaundice released from the breakage of used red blood cells.

There are some other causes of infant jaundice. They are listed below.

• Premature babies ( born before the completion of 9 months)
• Different blood types, which means the blood type of baby is not compatible with the blood type of mother.

Incompatible blood types of the mother and the baby can develop an accumulation of antibodies that can kill their red blood cells which can create an immediate rise in bilirubin level.

• Internal bleeding
• Sepsis (an infection in the blood of the baby)
• Viral or bacterial infections
• Liver malfunctioning
• Baby’s bile ducts (ducts connected to liver) are blocked, known as biliary atresia.
•  Enzyme deficiency
• Sickle cell anemia
• bleeding underneath the scalp
• Underactive thyroid gland
• Hepatitis
• Low oxygen level, known as hypoxia

Infants jaundice from breast feeding is common. It takes place in the new born babies which are breast-fed in two different forms.

1. Breast-Feeding Jaundice: It occurs in the first week of baby’s life. It happens if the baby is not feeding rightly or the mother’s milk is slow in flow.
2. Breast Milk Jaundice: This takes place because of the substances in the breast milk interfering with the breakage process of bilirubin. It takes place after a week of life. Occurs at peak at 2 to 3 weeks.

Symptoms of Infant jaundice:

The most noticeable sign of new born jaundice is pale skin and eyes. This initially take place in head and then extends to chest, stomach, arms and legs. These are some symptoms of jaundice in babies.

• Drowsiness
• Pale color of stool
• Bad sucking or feeding
• Dark colored urine ( a newborn’s urine should be colorless)

Severe infant jaundice symptoms may include:

• Yellow abdomen, lower body or limbs
• Be sleepy
• Not gaining weight
• Poor feeding
• Irritability in behavior

In new born babies jaundice may stay for more than 2 weeks. It is more common in boys than girls. It also goes away on its time but if you feel the necessity of treatment call on your doctor or health care provider.