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kelly - February 23rd, 2011 12:30 AM

my sister just gave birth to a baby boy. He's 5 days old today and we noticed that his skin is a bit yellow... we were told to have the baby exposed to sunlight every morning to get rid of the yellow color, but it doesn't seem to go away. Should we worry?

sarah08 - February 23rd, 2011 12:52 AM

hey kelly. newborns really have a tendency to turn yellow and exposure to sunlight does help. I assume he was seen by the doctor before he was discharged from the hospital, right? Did the doctor mention anything about him being yellowish? If you are not comfortable about him being yellow, i guess it would be better for you to see the doctor.

kelly - February 23rd, 2011 1:02 AM

Hi there sarah, thanks for the response... you're right, the doctor saw him before my sister and the baby came home... but he didn't seem to be "yellow" that day... I guess you're right, maybe we should just consult our pediatrician.

sweet_joey - February 23rd, 2011 1:13 AM

it's called jaundice, but it has different types. There's one i know, which is the physiological jaundice. It generally appears 2 to 4 days after birth, but it also disappears in a couple of weeks. Not sure though if your nephew would fall under that category.

paula - February 23rd, 2011 1:24 AM

joey's right. and it could also be anything... i mean, there are a lot of factors that could cause the baby to have jaundice or yellowing of the skin. Is he a pre-mature baby?

kelly - February 23rd, 2011 1:32 AM

he is a full term baby. joey might be right, we do hope this disappears in a couple of weeks. would it be safe if we wait for a couple of weeks? or should we be alarmed as early as now?

paula - February 23rd, 2011 1:35 AM

question is, how yellow is yellow? if it is physiologic jaundice, then it might still be safe if you wait for 2 weeks.

kelly - February 23rd, 2011 1:42 AM

ummm.. it's not really like a dark colored yellow, but it's obvious enough.
my sister is worried sick as well. She has been breastfeeding the baby, and she's afraid that her milk might have caused it. I don't know...

sweet_joey - February 23rd, 2011 1:44 AM

It's very rare for a baby to become allergic to breastmilk. It's in fact the healthiest source of nutrition for babies. I don't think it's caused by her milk.

kelly - February 23rd, 2011 1:48 AM

i thought so too. ever since my nephew started to turn yellowish, my sister has become paranoid to a lot of things.

nicole[3 - February 23rd, 2011 1:52 AM

there are cases where the baby turns yellow in relation to breastmilk, however it's not the milk itself that is causing the problem. It could be that the baby is not getting enough milk. that's the real cause of the problem.

my_Sweetchild - February 25th, 2011 11:34 AM

i think you should seek professional help maybe its a serious illness

XeraSmith - March 2nd, 2011 9:22 AM

Here are some intersting facts to help you understand why the baby skin is yellowish:


A yellowish skin is a common condition in newborns (including healthy ones). The term is jaundice which refers to the yellow color of the skin and whites of the eyes. It is caused by an excess of Bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin production is normal, caused by the breakdown of red blood cells (RBC).


Newborn babies make more bilirubin than adults. Why? Because they have more turnover of RBC than normal.

The amount of bilirubin is too much and it is re-absorbed from the intestines before it is rid in the stool.

A newborn is still developing his or her liver. This makes his or her liver not adequate enough to remove excess bilirubin from the blood. In time the liver, including other organs, will have matured in a few more months.

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