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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffSigns of infant jaundice usually appear between the second or fourth day of life and include:
- Yellowing of the skin
- Yellowing of the eyes
You'll usually notice jaundice first in your baby's face. If the condition progresses, you may notice the yellow color in his or her eyes, chest, abdomen, arms and legs.
The best way to check for infant jaundice is to press your finger gently on your baby's forehead or nose. If the skin looks yellow where you pressed, it's likely your baby has jaundice. If your baby doesn't have jaundice, the skin color should simply look slightly lighter that its normal color for a moment.
It's best to examine your baby in good lighting conditions, preferably in natural daylight.
When to see a doctor
Most hospitals have a policy of checking a baby for jaundice before he or she is discharged. The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines regarding jaundice recommend that your newborn infant be examined for jaundice whenever a routine medical check is done and at least every eight to 12 hours.
Your baby should be checked for jaundice when he or she is between three and five days old, when bilirubin levels usually peak. Therefore, if your baby is discharged earlier than 72 hours after birth, you should have a follow-up appointment to check for jaundice within two days. In some cases, your doctor may recommend a follow-up visit earlier than two days.
The following signs or symptoms may indicate severe jaundice or complications from jaundice. Call your doctor if:
- Your baby's skin becomes more yellow
- Your baby's skin looks yellow on the abdomen, arms or legs
- The whites of your baby's eyes look yellow
- Your baby seems listless, sick or difficult to wake
- Your baby isn't gaining weight or is feeding poorly
- Your baby makes high-pitched cries
- Your baby develops any other signs or symptoms that concern you
- Jaundice lasts more than three weeks
- Piazza A, et al. Digestive system disorders. In: Kliegman R, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/121716574-3/807466544/1608/324.html. Accessed Feb. 22, 2009.
- Questions and answers: Jaundice and your newborn. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.aap.org/family/Jaundice_English.pdf. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- Moerschel SK, et al. A practical approach to neonatal jaundice. American Family Physician. 2008;77:1255.
- Management of hyperbilirubinemia in the newborn infant 35 or more weeks of gestation. Pediatrics. 2004;114:297.
- Cohen SM. Jaundice in the full-term newborn. Pediatric Nursing. 2006;32:202.
- Maisels MJ, et al. Phototherapy for neonatal jaundice. New England Journal of Medicine. 2008;358:920.
