Question
My baby is 50 days old, and their skin was red at first, but now it’s not too red. We went for a check-up together with my mother at 42 days, and the doctor said there was a slight jaundice. The test results were: head 8.1~139, chest 6.2~106. I’m not sure if the jaundice level is high?
Answer
The characteristics of physiological jaundice are: (1) It appears 2 to 3 days after birth and gradually deepens, reaching its peak between the 4th and 6th day, and starts to decrease after the second week. (2) Jaundice has a certain limit; its color will not turn golden yellow. Jaundice mainly distributes on the face and trunk, while the lower legs, forearms, hands, and soles often show no obvious jaundice. The physiological jaundice in full-term infants usually subsides by the end of the second week, while preterm infants’ jaundice generally disappears within the third week. Children with normal body temperature, good appetite, and increasing weight have normal stool and urine color. There is no need to worry.