Diseases

Neonatal Jaundice

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Newborn babies will begin to appear jaundiced when they have more than 5 mg/dl of bilirubin in their blood. It is important to recognize and treat neonatal jaundice because high levels of bilirubin can cause permanent damage to a baby's brain. This brain damage is called kernicterus

SYMPTOMS

Drowsiness, pale stools - breast-fed babies should have greenish-yellow stools, while those of bottle fed babies should be a greenish-mustard color, poor sucking or feeding, dark urine - a newborn's urine should be colorless.

CAUSES

A baby whose blood type isn't compatible with that of their mother can develop a buildup of antibodies that can destroy their red blood cells and cause a sudden rise in bilirubin levels. Other causes of newborn jaundice include: bruising at birth or other internal bleeding. liver problems.