Can newborns get jaundice if they are breastfed?

Many parents have only heard of "physiological jaundice" and "pathological jaundice", but have never heard of "breast milk jaundice" caused by breastfeeding. Breast milk is a natural food for babies, and breastfeeding babies has many advantages, but according to statistics, 0.5%-2% of newborns develop "breast milk jaundice" after breastfeeding.

Neonatal breast milk jaundice mostly occurs on the 4th to 7th day after birth. It is difficult to distinguish from physiological jaundice in the initial stage, but physiological jaundice gradually subsides after 5-6 days after birth, while the degree of jaundice in breast milk jaundice reaches its peak in the 2nd to 3rd week after birth. Although the jaundice is obvious, the baby has a good appetite and is still breastfed. The weight increases according to normal growth and development. Although multiple examinations have been conducted, no other possible causes of jaundice have been found. If it is considered to be breast milk jaundice, stop breastfeeding for 3 days and feed cow's milk or formula instead. The jaundice will obviously subside. If the jaundice does not subside after 3 days and the bilirubin value in the blood test does not decrease, the jaundice is not caused by breastfeeding, and other causes should be actively checked.

Even if breast milk jaundice is deep, it will not cause kernicterus and will not damage the brain, so there is no need to stop breastfeeding. As for the cause of breast milk jaundice, some people believe that it is caused by the pregnanediol or unsaturated fatty acids in breast milk inhibiting the combination of bilirubin and glucuronic acid, while others believe that it is caused by the high activity of β-glucuronidase in breast milk, which increases the reabsorption of bilirubin in the intestine.