What causes breast milk jaundice?

Breast milk jaundice is usually divided into early-onset and late-onset. Early-onset breast milk jaundice is usually related to insufficient breast milk intake, while late-onset breast milk jaundice is usually caused by abnormal metabolism in the newborn, as follows:

1. Early-onset: Within one week after birth, the newborn may have insufficient breast milk secretion and ineffective sucking, which results in the newborn being unable to take in enough breast milk, delayed meconium excretion, increased enterohepatic circulation, increased bilirubin, and jaundice.

2. Late-onset disease: One week after the birth of a newborn, the polymorphism of the uridine diphosphate glucuronyl transferase gene in the newborn's liver affects the liver's processing of bilirubin, causing jaundice.

After breast milk jaundice is diagnosed, if the bilirubin does not exceed 15ml/dl, breastfeeding is usually not stopped. If it exceeds, breastfeeding can be suspended. It is recommended to accelerate the decomposition of bilirubin through sun exposure and excrete it from the urine. If the bilirubin reaches 20mg/dl or more, phototherapy is usually required. Unconjugated bilirubin is converted into water-soluble isomers by irradiation with blue light and excreted with bile and urine. For those with more severe breast milk jaundice, liver protection drugs or enzyme inducers can be used for treatment under the guidance of a doctor.