Breast milk jaundice stool chart

It is quite common for babies to have jaundice, and there are many reasons for jaundice, among which breast milk can also cause jaundice. Of course, it does not rule out jaundice caused by some physiological factors. Therefore, when a baby has jaundice, the cause must be identified in time and then dealt with accordingly. So when a baby has jaundice, how do we tell whether it is breast milk jaundice? Let us learn about it below.

If your baby has jaundice and you want to know whether it is breast milk jaundice, you can stop breastfeeding for three days and switch to formula feeding, and then accurately measure the total bilirubin level in the baby's blood. If the total bilirubin level is found to be significantly reduced, it means that the cause of the baby's jaundice may be caused by breast milk. If the jaundice is caused by breast milk, it is recommended that no treatment is required and the baby can be fed as usual. There is no need to stop breastfeeding for fear of jaundice, because jaundice will not necessarily recur, and even if it does, it will not be to the original extent.

To determine whether the baby's jaundice is milk-related, you can also use the following methods:

1. Look at the baby's condition. If the baby's feeding is fine and there are no clinical symptoms, the baby's growth and weight are normal, and the baby's eating, sleeping and mental state are good, then it is likely to be breast milk jaundice.

2. Observe the color of the baby's stool. If the baby's stool is orange, light green or dark brown, this means that the baby has common bile duct obstruction, because bile duct obstruction can cause bile to be discharged poorly. Most of the stool is very light in color, light green in the early stage, and grayish clay-like in the middle and late stages. Although observing the color of the baby's stool may not necessarily diagnose breast milk jaundice, it can at least rule out the possibility of physiological jaundice. Please note that prolonged bile duct obstruction can damage the liver, so it is very important to observe the stool color of babies with jaundice.

3. Look at the time of onset of jaundice. There are two types of breast milk jaundice: early onset and late onset. Early onset jaundice is similar to physiological jaundice, in that yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes occurs two to three days after birth, while late onset breast milk jaundice occurs about a week after the birth of the newborn. This can be easily distinguished from physiological jaundice, which usually occurs within 24 hours after the birth of the newborn.

The above are some ways to identify whether the baby has breast milk jaundice. When the baby has jaundice, parents may want to identify it from the above aspects. If it is breast milk jaundice, it will disappear on its own, so don’t worry. If it is not very serious, there is no need to deal with it. If it is serious, you can follow the doctor’s instructions to alleviate it. Generally, it will not cause adverse effects on the baby.