Newborn Jaundice Symptoms

• As a baby's bilirubin levels rise, jaundice moves from the head to include the arms, trunk, and finally the legs. If the bilirubin levels are very high, a baby will appear jaundiced below the knees and on the palms of his or her hands. One easy way to check for jaundice is to press a finger against your baby's skin, temporarily pushing the blood out of it. Normal skin will turn white when you do this, but jaundiced skin will stay yellow.
  
  
• Older children and adults will appear jaundiced when the amount of bilirubin in their blood is above 2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Newborn babies will begin to appear jaundiced when they have more than 5 mg/dL of bilirubin in their blood. It is important to recognize and treat neonatal jaundice because high levels of bilirubin can cause permanent damage to a baby's brain. This brain damage is called kernicterus. Today, because of increased awareness and effective treatment of neonatal jaundice, kernicterus is extremely rare.
  
  
• Jaundice itself does not produce any clinical symptoms, but the underlying cause may produce the following symptoms:
  
  
  • Ill appearance
    
    
  • Fever
    
    
  • Poor feeding