What is jaundice?
A baby's skin can turn slightly yellow a few days after birth. This happens to many newborn babies. Most babies temporarily have skin that is slightly yellowish, regardless of their skin color. It is more difficult to see in babies with darker skin tones. Sometimes, you can see that the whites of the eyes turn yellowish. This is also called jaundice. It is often mild and does not need treatment. But if your baby appears too yellow, it should be treated. When treated properly, it is not harmful.
Jaundice or yellowing occurs because there is (temporarily) too much bilirubin in the blood. In the right amount, bilirubin is not harmful. In fact, everyone has it in their body. It is a yellow substance released when certain blood cells are broken down because they are no longer needed. Since newborn babies often have to break down more cells (clean up), such as remnants of maternal blood in their bloodstream, they often turn slightly yellow shortly after birth. They then have a bit more of that waste substance bilirubin in their blood. This yellow substance then leaves the body through urine or stool. This is why urine is yellow.
If there is too much bilirubin in the blood, it can have several causes. If you want to know what the cause is in your baby, you can ask the doctor. Jaundice does not cause pain. The treatment consists of phototherapy. The phototherapy also does not cause pain.
Phototherapy works by shining blue light on the skin. This helps your baby break down bilirubin more easily and then excrete it through urine or stool. By excreting bilirubin through urine or stool, the bilirubin level in the blood decreases. This makes your baby healthy again.