where does bilirubin come from?
Bilirubin comes from hemoglobin (the oxygen carrying protein) in old red blood cells. As red cells are broken down in the body, the hemoglobin inside gets converted by enzymes to become bilirubin. The bilirubin is then transported in the blood to the liver. The liver processes it further (called conjugation) and then sends it to the gall bladder. The gallbladder then excretes the bilirubin into the intestine, where it goes into the baby's stool and is eliminated from the body.