Bilirubin is made when the body breaks down

 

 

 

 

 

red blood cells
Red blood cells are the part of your blood that makes it red. Their main job is to carry oxygen from your heart and lungs out to the tissues of your body. Once these cells unload oxygen, they pick up carbon dioxide. They take carbon dioxide back to your lungs so you can breathe it out of your body.

 

 

 

 

 

red blood cells that aren't needed any more. Usually the

 

 

 

 

 

liver
Your liver is a large organ that sits on the right side of your body, just below your rib cage. It does several important things, including processing and storing nutrients from food, and breaking down chemicals, such as alcohol.

 

 

 

 

 

liver gets rid of bilirubin. But newborn babies may not be able to do this very well. Instead the bilirubin builds up, causing jaundice.

If your baby's jaundice is not too bad, they may not need any treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Academy of Family Physicians.
For parents: common conditions in children: jaundice and your baby.
June 2006. Available at http://familydoctor.org (accessed 29 April 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

¹ But if your baby's bilirubin builds up, there are simple treatments that can prevent serious problems from happening.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Totapally BR, Torbati D.
Neonatal jaundice.
International Pediatrics. 2005; 20: 47-54.

 

 

 

 

 

²

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Porter ML, Dennis BL.
Hyperbilirubinemia in the term newborn.
American Family Physician. 2002; 65: 599-606.

 

 

 

 

 

³ Jaundice can lead to a problem called kernicterus. This happens rarely, but it can affect your baby's brain. It can lead to hearing loss, learning difficulties, and late development.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Porter ML, Dennis BL.
Hyperbilirubinemia in the term newborn.
American Family Physician. 2002; 65: 599-606.

 

 

 

 

 

³

It can be hard to tell if your baby has severe jaundice. So you should tell your doctor right away if your baby has a yellow tinge to their skin or the whites of their eyes or inside their mouth, and:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Porter ML, Dennis BL.
Hyperbilirubinemia in the term newborn.
American Family Physician. 2002; 65: 599-606.

 

 

 

 

 

³

If your baby's doctor thinks the bilirubin in your baby's blood may be building up, they will do a blood test. Some babies may need to have the jaundice treated to bring the bilirubin level back to normal.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Totapally BR, Torbati D.
Neonatal jaundice.
International Pediatrics. 2005; 20: 47-54.

 

 

 

 

 

²

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mills JF, et al.
Fibreoptic phototherapy for neonatal jaundice (Cochrane review).
The Cochrane Library 2006, Issue 2. Wiley, Chichester, UK.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

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