Jaundice in full-term and near-term babies who leave the hospital within 36 hours. The pediatrician's nemesis.

There has been an increase in hyperbilirubinemia in the newborn population and, perhaps, an increase in bilirubin encephalopathy. The early discharge of newborns from hospital has made it necessary for us to reorient our thinking about bilirubin levels in the first 24 to 48 hours of life and alter our approach to follow-up. The pediatrician must evaluate and follow infants who have risk factors for the development of severe hyperbilirubinemia, paying particular attention to the breast-feeding, near-term infant.