Jaundice refers to the yellow color of the skin and whites of the eyes. It can occur in newborn of any race or color. It happens when a chemical called "bilirubin" builds up in the baby's blood.
Every one’s blood contains bilirubin which is removed by the liver. Before birth, the mother’s liver removes bilirubin for the baby. When a baby is born, the baby’s liver must remove it. However, during the first few days after birth, the baby’s liver might not be developed enough to efficiently get rid of the bilirubin. Then most babies can develop jaundice during that period.