Infant jaundice is a yellow discoloration in a newborn baby's skin, body tissues, fluids and eyes. Infant jaundice occurs because the baby's blood contains an excess of bilirubin. Bilirubin is a normal pigment made when red blood cells break down in the body. It is usually processed by the liver, recycled and eliminated in the baby’s stool. Jaundice is common in newborns. This is because all newborn babies are born with more red blood cells than they need. These extra red blood cells break down, releasing bilirubin into the blood.
Feeding (especially breastfeeding) your baby often in the first hours and days after birth helps reduce the risk of jaundice. Your baby will pass more stool, and the milk gives your baby’s liver the energy it needs to process the bilirubin. In newborns who do not feed very well, more bilirubin is reabsorbed from the gut before the body gets rid of it. This is the most common reason for jaundice in newborns.