If there is one thing that drives doctors crazy, it's when patients don't do what they are supposed to do, especially when they have promised to do it. Before I discharged her baby, I asked the mother if she was sure she had a way back to the hospital for the jaundice level and made sure she understood its importance. She was young but seemed reliable. I knew there was a chance she wouldn't bring the baby back, but, except in the worst social circumstances, we simply can't keep babies in for days until we're sure the jaundice level is okay.