Prolonged jaundice in neonates.

Jaundice is common in neonates and is often the reason for a parent to consult a community midwife or health visitor. It is known that up to 40 per cent of breastfed infants are jaundiced at 14 days of age and a proportion of these infants are referred to paediatric services for assessment and blood investigations. Most often the investigations reveal a high bilirubin level but otherwise normal liver function results, leading to a diagnosis of breastfeeding jaundice, with no treatment required other than reassurance to the parents and monitoring.