Most everyone knows that when a baby has jaundice his or her eyes, tissues and skin turn a yellowish color, but that is often the extent of their knowledge on the subject. The yellow color comes from a substance called bilirubin that results from the breakdown of red blood cells in the body.
Jaundice actually alludes to a potentially dangerous condition called hyperbilirubinemia, which is characterized by the buildup of bilirubin in a baby's tissues and blood. Everyone produces bilirubin and the liver is responsible for excreting it, but some babies' bodies are unable to get rid of it.