Brighter Days, Darker Nights: Quantum Newborn Jaundice Course

A quantum lens on newborn jaundice

Nikko Kennedy — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 15:15:10 GMT

Housekeeping: The first course I ever created was Quantum Newborn Jaundice. It is text-based at present, but I’ve been considering teaching it in video format. Let me know in the comments if you think it would be more accessible that way. In the meantime, you can access it through the link below. The beginning is free, but most of it lives behind the paywall because it was a huge amount of time to research, write, and edit. If you need a scholarship, just ask. As always, this is for informational purposes only and should not substitute for advice from a qualified healthcare practitioner familiar with your unique circumstances.

Quantum Newborn Jaundice

Why do we need a course about newborn jaundice? Don’t we just use phototherapy for this?

The entire paradigm of newborn jaundice is ripe for a transformation—and I hope you can become a part of it!

Bilirubin, the pigment that makes jaundiced babies look yellow, is NOT just a toxin or byproduct, but a signaling molecule with diverse biological roles, including scave…

Quantum Newborn Jaundice Course

Nikko Kennedy — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 23:32:11 GMT

Phototherapy treatment for newborn jaundice is the number one reason babies are separated from mothers after birth.

Not only does intensive phototherapy treatment interrupt bonding, but the phototherapy itself is coming to light as carrying serious and previously unrecognized risks for babies in the short- and long-term1.

Additionally, the redox status—the baby’s level of oxidative stress—is coming to light as a key factor in physiological newborn jaundice.

Are you ready to expand your understanding of newborn jaundice—and how we could improve the care we offer for it? You are in the right place!

Introducing the Quantum Newborn Jaundice Course by Nikko Kennedy, CLD, BS

This course to will raise your awareness of new approaches being explored in newborn jaundice prevention and treatment that could better support the family bonding as well as potentially improve outcomes for newborns with jaundice across their entire lifespans.

Also, this is totally amazing news I wanted to share: eight days…

First module: Jaundice (aka high bilirubin in babies) overview

Nikko Kennedy — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 02:25:34 GMT

There are a few, very rare conditions that can cause disease-driven newborn jaundice. These are severe problems—true diseases. These are not easy to test for. Pathological jaundice (as opposed to physiological jaundice) will be covered in future modules. First, let’s dig in to the current model of physiological newborn jaundice knowledge and care.

Is a baby in yellow a cause to panic? Very rarely!

Newborn jaundice is usually caused by one or more of the following scenarios:

Constipation/lack of hydration causing slowed bilirubin elimination through the baby’s urine and feces
Overly rapid turnover of blood cells in the baby (this can indicate a problem of the circadian rhythm which should control cell growth and death)
Immature liver from a baby who was born prematurely before the liver was mature
Incompatible maternal blood in the baby’s circulation from birth

The…

Second module: Newborn constipation relief is the first line of support for newborn jaundice

Nikko Kennedy — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 02:21:19 GMT

Let’s look at the first preventable cause of newborn jaundice: lack of hydration and subsequent dehydration and constipation

Lack of hydration, or dehydration, is a common problem in pregnancy and breastfeeding. If a mama is dehydrated, can her baby who is dependent upon her also be dehydrated? Of course! And then what happens? Her baby can get constipated and have less pee… leading to increased bilirubin circulating and possibly a jaundice diagnosis. What is the prescription?

It’s important for newborns to make lots of wet and dirty diapers… otherwise, they are at increased risk for jaundice.

Here’s our first paradigm shift.

Current wisdom says mama needs breastfeed more to help relieve their baby’s constipation.

Current wisdom says to support herself by drinking lots of water and electrolytes, and avoiding diuretics.

^All good advice and great places to start.

But, that advice completely overlooks the way cells are hydrated. Cells are not actually hydrated by the water we drink—at leas…

Third module: Reducing excessive blood cell turnover by nurturing strong maternal circadian rhythms

Nikko Kennedy — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 02:17:54 GMT

Circadian science is new(ish) frontier that may have the answers to pregnancy problems that have puzzled scientists for decades (such as preeclampsia, genetic expression, hormonal cycles, and more). The circadian rhythm is how our bodies know what to do, when. It controls things like the sleep/wake cycle, but also things like cell creation/destruction timing.

Time outdoors in nature is the primary entrainer of maternal circadian rhythms.

The current paradigm says babies don’t have a circadian rhythm of their own.

It says babies grow using their mother’s circadian rhythm in the womb, and then are born without a rhythm of their own at all. After birth, they are thought to slowly entrain to their environment.

Fourth module: Looking closer at preterm birth as a contributing factor to newborn jaundice

Nikko Kennedy — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 02:15:35 GMT

We support babies in the womb by supporting their mothers and fathers. The whole family is involved, from the quality of the sperm and egg, all the way through the health of the pregnancy pregnancy and how the baby is born. Preterm birth is the biggest risk factor for severe and long-term outcomes from jaundice.

Parental health is so connected to the growing baby. It’s very rare for perfectly healthy parents to have a baby who needs to be born prematurely.

There is a ton of nutritional advice out there, a ton of exercise advice, lists of supplements and medications to take/not take, and these exist for both mothers and fathers.

But, again, there’s a fundamental paradigm shift that needs to be made.

We live IN the Earth as much as we live ON it. Integrating with our immediate environment nurtures vitality in deep ways. Science is only beginning to catch up with how Nature plays a huge role in the success of human reproduction.

Humans live on the Earth, but the Earth is not a 2-D plane. I…

Fifth module: Unconjugated vs conjugated bilirubin, and the signifigance of antioxidant power of the bilverdin-bilirubin cycle

Nikko Kennedy — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 01:17:43 GMT

It turns out, bilirubin is a powerful antioxidant! Our adult bodies, and our babies' bodies, use bilirubin to counter oxidative stress. In that context, bilirubin is more powerful than alpha-tocopherol (alpha-tocopherol is usually thought of as the most effective lipid-soluble antioxidant in the human species). Bilirubin is also thought to work in partnership with glutathione, another powerful antioxidant the body makes1.

When a baby is undergoing cellular stress (which all babies do thanks to the transition from placenta-supported womb-life to breathing oxygen-rich air), it makes sense for the baby’s body to make use of bilirubin. Bilirubin is readily available from the breakdown of blood cells (which all babies have to do), and the bilirubin cleans up some of that oxidative stress on it’s way out.

All babies experience oxidative stress from the transition of birth and beginning to breath oxygen-rich air. Oxidative stress relates to the creation and bodily management of “reactive oxyge…

Sixth module: The newborn blood-brain barrier and nature's natural protections

Nikko Kennedy — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 00:58:16 GMT

It’s not a complete story to say that when bilirubin gets too high the brain can’t keep it out.

Breastfeeding offers significant neuroprotection.

There are specific things that make the blood-brain barrier either stronger, or weaker.

Protecting and strengthening the blood-brain barrier is another thing the conventional treatment model hardly accounts for.

And there is a very good reason conventional medicine can’t address the topic of the blood-brain barrier in newborns: research is lacking! For ethical reasons, research on the blood-brain barrier in newborns is much more limited than it is in adults.

Breastmilk: Nature’s source of antioxidant melatonin for newborns

Melatonin has significant ability to protect against neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier permeability. Newborns don’t make their own melatonin, but have a powerful source of melatonin at hand in the form of colostrum and breastmilk!

(Formula is not supplemented with circadian hormones at present, but research is underw…

Seventh module: About the protocols

Nikko Kennedy — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 23:28:44 GMT

About these physiological jaundice protocols

As I stated earlier in this course, reducing the risk of jaundice lies in addressing the 3 most preventable causes of physiological newborn jaundice (poor cellular hydration ((aka, mitochondrial dysfunction)), circadian dysfunction, and preterm birth).

Overall, the goal is to have a healthy, full-term pregnancy and physiological birth. That's why I think this protocol could just as easily be called the Thriving Bioelectric & Circadian Pregnancy Protocol!

Connect to nature via grounding and alternating solar light and nighttime darkness.

Remember:

“Your relationship with your physical, geographical location on Earth is where bioelectric cellular hydration and mitochondrial health meet the circadian processes of cell growth and recycling to promote the utmost integration into your local ecosystem, and your family’s health thereby.”

This protocol includes a small amount of nutrition research, as certain deficiencies are associated with worse outcom…

Support protocol 1: Preconception & pregnancy

Nikko Kennedy — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 23:23:28 GMT

Reduce the risk factors for newborn jaundice, before your baby is even born!

The risk for newborn jaundice begins long before your baby is born!

Avoid folic acid. Instead, eat real-food folates and folate cofactors (DHA, the full B-vitamin spectrum, choline, magnesium, serine, and zinc). Foods: cultured dairy, eggs, liver and other organ meats, oysters and other shellfish, red meat, poultry, pork, seaweeds, salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring/kippers and other small, low-mercury seafood. Read:
Brighter Days, Darker Nights
Folate Part I: Folate and Methylation
Care providers recommend folic acid to all women who want to conceive. At the same time, unmetabolized synthetic folic acid is associated with cancer, depression and cognitive impairment. What gives? Folic acid is one of the most controversial prenatal supplements. There are two main schools of thought. Since this topic wraps around to circadian rhythms and the light/dark cycle, I wanted to share it with you…
Read more
4 years ago · Nikko Kennedy
Dim (or cut out) artificial light at night. Use candles, firelight, the moon, starlight… or very dim incandescents or blue-excluded LEDs if necessary. Avoiding artificial light at night is vital for supporting circadian melatonin rhythms. Melatonin is an endogenous antioxidant that works with bilirubin to balance oxidative stress. Once baby is born, nighttime breastmilk is a baby’s only source of melatonin because they don’t synthesize it on their own for at least the first month of life. Read:
Brighter Days, Darker Nights
Your mother gave you your circadian rhythm.
Did you know your circadian rhythm is first set by your mother? If your mother and grandmother lived in a healthy light environment, great! If they had a poor light environment, and if you haven't done the work to reset your rhythm, chances are, you may be carrying those unhealthy patterns today…
Read more
3 years ago · 2 likes · Nikko Kennedy
Ob…

Support protocol 2: For babies at home

Nikko Kennedy — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 23:10:16 GMT

Help! I’m at home and my baby is showing signs of jaundice. What can I do?

Being at home gives you the most freedom to use natural light and electrons to support your baby through physiological jaundice.

Protect your baby’s blood-brain barrier. As long as the blood-brain barrier and other cellular membranes remain intact, the bilirubin can’t harm them and will continue providing antioxidant protection to your baby. Stress and certain medications can increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. Review this possibility with any tests or medications suggested by your doctor.
Release your fears. Find joy in the present moment and ways to communicate that relaxation to your baby. This will help them pee and poop, the easiest way to clear bilirubin. If breastfeeding, relaxation will also help your milk flow. It can be helpful to remember the yellow pigment is a powerful antioxidant. It’s your baby’s natural way of protecting themselves from the natural stresses they are going throug…

Support protocol 3: For babies in the hospital

Nikko Kennedy — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 22:59:18 GMT

Considerations for babies in the hospital:

Babies in the hospital tend to receive more interventions than babies at home.

Your baby may already be on medications by the time the jaundice starts to appear. Review all literature available about any medications in use (or being offered):
1. Is the medication known to affect the blood-brain barrier or compete for albumin binding? If it does, are alternatives available? Will you start a medical jaundice treatment at a lower threshold if baby is known to be on a medication or have a condition that reduces the blood-brain barrier?
2. Is the medication known to increase photosensitivity? If it does, will phototherapy times be reduced? Will alternatives, such as wet-cupping, be considered?
Phototherapy is dehydrating for you baby, and donor milk, formula, and/or extra fluids are likely to be required. This depends on your baby’s age and if your milk has come in or not. These milk alternatives will not have the night/day hormonal signals that your breast…

Explore the Quantum side of Newborn Jaundice

Nikko Kennedy — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 21:30:00 GMT

I followed your guide and prepared my circadian rhythm by essentially living outside during the summer, getting plenty of sleep, no screens at night, waking with the sun, going barefoot. I am so happy to report that we avoided the NICU despite an ABO intolerance and I had my healthy big baby at home. He is 4 months old and has slept so well at night since day 1.

~ Paid Subscriber at Brighter Days, Darker Nights

Newborn jaundice is a sign mama had significant circadian disruption during pregnancy, and that her baby needs —and deserves—extra attention and support.

In this course, you will learn a new paradigm for supporting newborn jaundice through a circadian and quantum lens.

For parents, this can help you understand what leads up to newborn jaundice and the choices you can make now to reduce your baby's risk. You will also learn how the principles of circadian and quantum biology affect a baby that already has jaundice so that you can better help them through this difficult time.

For pr…