What should you know about congenital hepatitis B?

A baby may look well even when infection is present. Hepatitis B affects the liver, and some children develop ongoing infection that can cause liver inflammation over time. Symptoms may be absent; when they occur, they can include poor feeding, unusual tiredness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or dark urine. The mother's hepatitis B results and the baby's examination help clinicians plan care.

Tell the newborn team about any hepatitis B result in pregnancy, including when it was found and whether treatment was discussed. Ask which preventive injections and tests are needed, and keep every follow-up appointment. A clinician may arrange blood tests, including a liver function test, to assess the liver and check infection markers. Do not give a baby supplements or medicines unless the paediatric team recommends them.

Contact the maternity or paediatric team urgently if the newborn is difficult to wake, feeds poorly, vomits repeatedly, has breathing difficulty, develops marked yellowing, or passes dark urine. These signs have several possible causes, but a young baby with them needs prompt assessment. Follow the team's instructions even if the baby seems comfortable, because hepatitis B can be silent.

Ask whether the baby needs immediate prevention, which blood tests are planned, when results will be reviewed, and how household members can reduce exposure. Ask how breastfeeding, routine vaccinations and future monitoring should be handled for this baby.