Asian newborns do tend to have somewhat higher bilirubins but in a full term
infant of any race, a bili of 17 (or higher) does NOT warrent weaning from the
breast.  The baby just needs assessed to make sure that he/she is feeding well
and getting a good intake of breastmilk; if not, then the breastfeeding should
be fixed.  A bili of 17 in an otherwise healthy 4-day old does not even need
phototherapy; it just needs followed (maybe).  Bilirubin peaks at about 4-5
days of life, so if this were my case, and the baby was healthy and feeding
well, I'd just tell the mom to feed him/her very frequently, keep a eye on the
frequency of urine and stools, put the baby in sunlight coming through a
window (if such were available) and recheck the bili the next day.  Sounds
like the physician isn't knowledgeable about the current recommendations for
jaundice.  He/she should review some of the recent work by Dr. Gardner on the
subject.  He/she should also review the potential harm of this therapy (which
is considerable when you take into account the risks of formula, the message
to the mother that her milk is the cause of the jaundice somehow, and the
potential nipple confusion/breast refusal that could result).

Linda Shaw MD FAAP