IBCLC Practice Exam 2025 – Complete Preparation Guide

Breast milk jaundice is a condition that typically becomes noticeable later in the first week or during the second week of an infant's life. It often arises due to factors in the mother's milk that can lead to increased levels of bilirubin in the baby's bloodstream. This condition is characterized by a gradual rise in bilirubin levels, which usually peak around the second or third week after birth.

One of the defining features of breast milk jaundice is its tendency to resolve spontaneously, usually within 12 weeks after birth, without the need for any specific treatment. The underlying mechanism can be attributed to certain substances in the breast milk that can inhibit the liver's ability to process bilirubin effectively during the early weeks of life. However, as the baby's liver matures, the processing of bilirubin improves, leading to the spontaneous resolution of jaundice.

In contrast, other forms of jaundice such as physiological jaundice typically appear within the first few days after birth and resolve more quickly (within the first week), while pathological jaundice can appear much earlier and usually indicates an underlying health problem that may require medical intervention. Breastfeeding jaundice, on the other hand, relates more to inadequate breastfeeding rather than the composition of breast milk itself.