Health encyclopaedia

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Diagnosis of Jaundice - newborn

When your baby is born, the doctors will check for jaundice, but it doesn’t usually appear for a few days. If it is noticed, your baby may be kept in hospital for a few days for observation.

When your baby comes home from hospital keep an eye on him/her. Check his/her skin and whites of the eyes in a well-lit room. Your midwife or health visitor will also check for jaundice.

To test for jaundice, gently press your fingers on the tip of your child's nose or forehead. If the pressed skin goes white your child does not have jaundice, if it goes yellow you should see your GP as soon as possible.

If the doctor thinks your baby may have jaundice they may do a blood test (serum bilirubin or SBR). This is to check for levels of bilirubin in the blood.

Other indications of jaundice are the colour of your baby’s urine and stools. The urine of a newborn baby should be colourless. The stools of a newborn baby should not be pale. If they are breastfed the stools should be greeny-yellow, and if they are bottlefed the stools should be a greeny-mustard colour.

• JaundiceJaundice - newbornJet lagJoint hypermobility

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