Jaundice is a yellowish tinge on newborn’s skin that is usually caused by a buildup of a chemical called bilirubin in the child’s blood because their immature liver has not yet begun to efficiently do its job of removing bilirubin from the bloodstream (bilirubin is formed from the body’s normal breakdown of red blood cells). While babies often have a mild case of jaundice, which is harmless, it can become a serious condition when bilirubin reaches what the pediatrician considers to be a very high level.
