Patient's question:
A relative of mine had a baby recently, and the baby had very high jaundice right after birth, so they were very worried. I would like to ask, how long does normal newborn jaundice usually last?Doctor's answer:
In the mother's abdomen during pregnancy, due to low oxygen pressure in the blood and a high number of red blood cells, newborns obtain oxygen through lung breathing after birth, and red blood cells are broken down to produce bilirubin. Full-term infants require 3-5 days for their liver's glucuronidase to function, while premature infants need 5-7 days. Newborns have immature glucuronidation transferase, which leads to jaundice. After birth, the enzyme gradually matures, and jaundice subsides.