by Stephanie Joynes

Created on: January 07, 2009

My birth experience wasn't exactly the typical 20 hour labor experience, but rather an "Uh oh, the baby is breech! Let's roll her into the C-Section room" kind of experience. When my daughter was born, she was perfectly healthy with 10 little fingers, 10 little toes, and a cry that was really healthy. Then we settled into the recovery room, and I stayed there for several days for the healing process from the surgery.

Unlike many mothers, I wasn't thrown out of the hospital within 24-48 hours to fend for myself and figure out how to take care of a newborn. Instead, I was lucky enough to have professionals checking on me and my baby. Since I was there for longer than expected, the nurses noticed my daughter's skin was a bit yellowish-orange.

Jaundice in newborns is usually harmless, and shows up around the second day after their birth and lasts anywhere from 8 to 14 days. Jaundice can also an indicator that there may be a liver problem. Only in extreme situations is there any brain damage or hearing loss. But hearing that disturbing news made me very aware of my newborn's coloring, which instead of being a soft pink color, was actually more of a yellow color. But this isn't the only way to detect a problem.

Parents should also check the diapers to make sure their newborn's urine is clear. Also parents should check the baby's stools, since pale colored stools can also be a clue. Breastfed babies usually have a daffodil colored stool while bottlefed a more mustard yellow. Either way, they are usually colorful. But if they are pale, contact your doctor. If you are at all concerned about your baby's well-being or the coloring hasn't gone away in a week, contact your doctor. Also be aware if the newborn doesn't want to eat, is excessively sleepy, or has a fever. If this is a problem, go to the hospital immediately.

With 90% of newborns having some form of jaundice, it really is a common problem. But there is no need to panic. A simple bilirubin blood test will check to see how severe the problem is and if there have been improvements. The baby is placed under phototherapy lights which help equalize the newborn's red blood cells and will bring back the normal coloring in her skin. But if you are at home, simply placing the baby in sunlight for 10 minutes at a time can also be a remedy.

The nurses continually checked my daughter's blood by pricking her heal and taking small blood samples. She simply took a nap underneath the lights with little protective goggles on her little eyes with several other newborns in the same situation. She actually looked like she was tanning. Eventually, the yellow-orange coloring faded, and she was back to her little pink self. But we did call her our little Oompa Loompa for a few weeks just for kicks.

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