newborn jaundice healthline written by danielle moores medically reviewed by george krucik md published on july babies at highest risk for developing newborn jaundice are premature babies born before weeks gestation babies who are not getting enough breast milk either because they are having a hard time feeding or because their mothers milk is not in yet babies whose blood type is not compatible with their mothers this may cause a buildup of antibodies that destroy babies red blood cells and cause a sudden rise in bilirubin levels i know this is not a review article in a professional publication which is our goal standard but i often like to start with more of a middlebrow source i feel i'm much less likely to make a mistake summarizing that source than a medical journal