Patient's question:
A while ago, my best friend had a baby, and when I visited them, I noticed the baby was having a bowel movement. The baby's body had some jaundice, and I wanted to ask, what color is the stool of a newborn with jaundice?Doctor's answer:
Neonatal jaundice appears yellow and is not directly related to stool. Typically, after taking yellowish medication, the stool may turn slightly off-center. Normally, the baby can drink more boiled water to promote urination, which helps eliminate toxins from the body. It's also important to ensure the baby gets adequate rest and maintains sufficient sleep, while keeping the indoor air well-ventilated.If indirect bilirubin levels are elevated, indirect bilirubin is converted to direct bilirubin and excreted into the intestinal cavity through the bile ducts, resulting in yellow stool. By observing the color of the stool, one can determine whether the neonatal jaundice is caused by direct bilirubin elevation due to biliary obstruction.