Question
I am a postmenopausal woman, and seven days ago, I gave birth to a little princess. I noticed that her legs and hands, as well as the palms of her hands, seem yellowish. My mother-in-law says this is a sign of jaundice, and since I’m not very knowledgeable about it, I would like to ask what types of baby jaundice are there?
Answer
Typically, neonatal jaundice is mainly divided into physiological and pathological types. Physiological jaundice mainly refers to the yellowing of the skin in infants within a few days after birth due to insufficient bilirubin metabolism. Pathological jaundice includes various types such as hemolytic jaundice, hepatocellular jaundice, and obstructive jaundice. Hemolytic jaundice may be caused by hemolysis, infection, or bleeding, hepatocellular jaundice is often seen in liver dysfunction or infection, and obstructive jaundice is usually associated with intestinal diseases or biliary excretion obstruction.