Jaundice Health Article

Parental concerns

Parents should examine their infant in natural daylight and under fluorescent lighting for signs of jaundice. Jaundice may be harder to see in infants with darker skin. However, when a child's nose and forehead are pressed gently, the skin is white in healthy babies of all races, but yellowish if jaundice is present. If the skin appears yellow, the test should be repeated on the chest or abdomen. Parents also should be aware of symptoms that may accompany jaundice, including fussiness, unusual sleepiness, or difficulty feeding.

Mothers who are having difficulty breastfeeding should seek help. Although breast milk is an effective treatment for jaundice, breastfed babies may receive fewer calories than formula-fed babies during the first days of life, causing bilirubin levels to rise.

BOOKS

Maisels, M. Jeffrey, and Jon F. Watchko, eds. Neonatal Jaundice. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic, 2000.

PERIODICALS

Blackmon, Lillian R., et al. "Research on Prevention of Bilirubin-Induced Brain Injury and Kernicterus: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Conference Executive Summary." Pediatrics 114, no. 1 (July 2004): 229.

Johnston, Carden. "Help for Newborn Jaundice." Baby Talk 69, no. 6 (August 2004): 18.

"Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant 35 or More Weeks of Gestation." Pediatrics 114 (2004): 297–316.

Obstetrics Hospitals Need to Improve Jaundice Monitoring, Commission Says. Science Letter (September 21, 2004): 936.

Payne, Doug. "Skin Meter Detects Jaundice." Medical Post (Toronto) 40, no. 32 (August 24, 2004): 35.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Academy of Pediatrics. 141 Northwest Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007–1098. Web site: <www.aap.org>.

American Liver Foundation. 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 603, New York, NY 10038. Web site: <www.liverfoundation.org>.

WEB SITES

"Questions and Answers: Jaundice and Your Newborn." American Academy of Pediatrics, June 25, 2004. Available online at <www.aap.org/family/jaundicefaq.htm> (accessed January 11, 2005).

"What is Biliary Atresia?" American Liver Foundation. Available online at <www.liverfoundation.org/db/articles/1012> (accessed January 11, 2005).

Margaret Alic, PhD