As a former NICU nurse, I saw this with babies frequently! If your newborn is looking a little bit yellow, this may be why... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In the few days of life, you may notice your newborns skin and the whites of their eyes having a slight yellow tint. This is not uncommon and can actually occur in about 50% of newborns! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It is caused by the buildup of bilirubin in the baby’s blood. Basically your baby is trying to process a large amount of red blood cells at birth and occasionally their little system can get behind on that. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So daily blood checks (a heal prick) is needed to test baby’s blood levels to monitor if baby is clearing their bilirubin on their own or if they need a little assistance. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If baby needs help getting their levels down here are a few ways you can do that: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 💛 Increase the frequency of their feedings. Offering nursing sessions or bottle feedings every 2-3 hours and helping them stay awake during feedings helps! The more they eat and poop, the more it helps to clear and process those levels. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 💛 Use phototherapy lights to help breakdown the bilirubin through the skin. There are beds or blankets now for you to use at the hospital! Once baby is discharged from the hospital there are home lights to use in that first week of baby’s life! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Once levels go down (usually within a few days or up to a week) and levels have cleared, there is no more follow up or treatment needed! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Has your baby experienced jaundice? Tell us about it below! It’s more common than you might think. 😊️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ xo, Karen