A child with jaundice has yellow skin or eyes, caused by an abnormally elevated bilirubin level in the body.

Bilirubin is produced from the breakdown of hemoglobin, which is the molecule that carries oxygen inside red blood cells. Usually, the liver processes the bilirubin and it is removed from the body in the stool.

More than half of newborns have mild jaundice in the first week after birth, caused by increased breakdown of red blood cells.