Understanding Jaundice

It’s estimated that about 3 in 5 babies will show some level of jaundice. Why is it so prevalent, and what are the different types of jaundice? How do you get rid of it? If your child is jaundiced, when should you be worried? How does it affect breastfeeding? Dr. Jack Newman tells us more.

What we talked about:

• What is jaundice?
• How common is it?
• The types of jaundice and how they differ
• Signs to watch out for
• Bilirubin as cell protector
• Jaundice as a product of not getting enough breastmilk
• How do you get rid of it?
• Do you have to stop breastfeeding?
• Phototherapy and bili-blankets
• Tips for helping your baby stay awake and feed more

Related resources*:

• Breastfeeding and Jaundice, by Jack Newman
• Common Breastfeeding Issues: Jaundice, by Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC and Danielle Rigg, JD, CLC, for BestForBabes.org
• Guidelines for Management of Jaundice in the Breastfeeding Infant Equal to or Greater Than 35 Weeks’ Gestation, The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
• Should a mother continue breastfeeding if her child has jaundice? from the CDC
• And a long list of more great jaundice resources from Kelly Mom

And if you want to dig deeper into Dr. Newman’s resources:

Here you can see all of the videos that Jack mentioned on the show (and more!), including:

• Video of a really good drinker and a good drinker
• Video of a “nibbler”
• Video of a baby that self latches, starts nibbling, and then drinks well
• A 10-hour old baby
• A 2-day old

Along with many valuable handouts!

Courtesy of Dr. Jack Newman

About Dr. Jack Newman

You most likely know Dr. Newman from the book that he wrote with Teresa Pitman, “Dr. Jack Newman’s Guide to Breastfeeding”, which was revised and updated in 2015. He and Teresa also wrote “The Latch and other keys to Breastfeeding Success”. And Jack has a great DVD resource called “Dr. Jack Newman’s Visual Guide to Breastfeeding”.

In 1984, Jack founded the first hospital based breastfeeding clinic in Canada, and has been a consultant for UNICEF for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, evaluating the first candidate hospitals in Gabon, the Ivory Coast and Canada.

Jack has written articles or given talks on possibly anything that may affect breastfeeding, including medications, jaundice, formula use, nipple confusion, nipple pain, latch, prematurity, nipple shields, and ways to encourage, support and maintain breastfeeding relationships.

He currently works at the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic and Institute, based at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, where creates many breastfeeding resources and helps moms diagnose breastfeeding concerns, treat pain, address milk supply issues, and concerns around babies’ health as related to feeding, and help to prevent future problems.

You can contact Dr. Newman through his contact form on his website: nbci.ca (he’s really good at getting back to you!), tap into his informational resources in many languages (including all the fabulous videos that we mentioned), or join the conversation on Facebook.