Jaundice

This is seen as yellow skin in the first few weeks after birth (but especially common from day 2-8, or day 2-14 if your baby was premature).  Also a yellow tone to the whites of the eyes, or gums.

It is caused by a build-up of bilirubin in the babies' blood, and this is because their liver is not quite mature enough to break it down. (Remember, whilst in the womb your baby's blood is cleaned & controlled by your liver.)

It is quite common;

Approximately 60% of term and 80% of preterm babies develop jaundice in the first week of life, and about 10% of breastfed babies are still jaundiced at 1 month of age.  {NICE}

And indeed guidelines from the ABM in 2009 tell us that it is quite normal:

"Jaundice and some degree of hyperbilirubinemia are normal and expected aspects of newborn development. Breastfeeding is also a normal and expected aspect of infancy and childhood."

Neonatal Jaundice is generally harmless - but in a few cases, babies have very high bilirubin levels and will need phototherapy (in a hospital ward).  Generally though, the treatment for your baby should be frequent feeding (always try and feed on demand!) - "Bilirubin count is lowered through bowel movements and urination so regular and proper feedings are especially important".  Sunlight will help, so sit near a window to feed, but leaving your baby in sunlight is not a recommended treatment! Your midwife will advise you further.

Don't be tempted to offer a bottle to top-up your baby's milk intake, as this will cut down your own milk supply and breastmilk is the best product.

You may read about "Breastfeeding Jaundice" - in fact, this is due to a lack of breastmilk... formula is not the cure!  Breastfed Babies who are forced to have a very long gaps between feeds are thus at risk of jaundice (fewer poos = higher bilirubin count in the blood) as well as signalling to your body that less milk is needed.

Do ask for advice if you have any concerns. It's important to establish breastfeeding well in the early weeks, as problems are much harder to sort out later.

Advice on recognising Jaundice
Most jaundice in babies is not harmful, however, it is important to check your baby for any signs of yellow colouring particularly during the first week of life. The yellow colour will usually appear around the face and forehead first and then spread to the body, arms and legs. A good time to check is when you are changing a nappy or clothes.
From time to time press your baby’s skin gently to see if you can see a yellow tinge developing. Also check the whites of your baby’s eyes when they are open and the inside of his/her mouth when open to see if the sides, gums or roof of the mouth look yellow. (from Unicef document)

Links here:
Information from NICE, with guidelines (a PDF) for parents/carers about what to do, what to expect.
A note about Jaundice on Lakeshore's pages.

Specific advice about breastfeeding jaundiced infants can be found from KellyMom, and Dr Jay Gordon has written about bilirubin, and jaundice.

One family's story is here: Orange Gnome