Symptoms:

Jaundice causes the skin and parts of the eyes to turn a yellow color. Breast milk jaundice is prolonged jaundice in an otherwise healthy, breast-fed baby, which develops after the first week of life and continues up to the sixth week of life.

Signs and tests:

Laboratory tests that may be done include:

• Bilirubin level (total and direct)
• Complete blood count
• Blood smear to look at blood cells
• Reticulocyte count to look at slightly immature red blood cells
• Blood typing

In some cases, a blood test to check for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) may be done. G6PD is a protein that helps red blood cells work properly.