Because I'm going to kick her ass.
As we were leaving the hospital Thursday it turns out that Ben's last heel stick showed that he was really jaundiced. Most people could tell by looking at him, but I've always had a heavy hand with the bronzer so a little orange/yellow/slightly unnatural looking tan has never raised any flags with me.
Well he was 15.2 bilirubins and they wanted him at 9. Because I was already discharged they decided that we would have home health care come to the house to set him up with phototherapy. I know phototherapy sounds like Tyra and Miss J sitting on a couch trying to come up with reasons why you can't smile with your eyes or why you insist on using model poses instead of letting the real you show through. But you would be wrong.
Phototherapy is a biliruben light that's essentially a tanning bed for babies that fits in your pack and play. Not even Xtina or JLo could get one from Petit Tresor if they demanded one. You know Xtina would use it too. So as exclusive as this set up is, it's really heartbreaking. Ben has to stay under this light in just his diaper unless he's being fed or changed. Given his hatred for being naked you can just imagine how many tears this has caused. Throughout the house. He's crying, I'm crying- it's just the saddest thing. As soon as you pick him up he stops crying because he just loves to be cuddled.
Also he's lost a bit of weight, we left the hospital and he was down to 7 lbs. 11 oz, and yesterday at the pediatrician, he was 7 even (barely) but today he was up again to 7 lbs. 5 oz. We wonder if a scale was wrong somewhere along the line but we can't begin to guess which one.
His color has improved over the last two days (a judgement made by eyes other than my own) and the nurse really thought that we'd be able to take him off but his bilirubens were back up to 15.5 instead of yesterdays 14.9. The thing is bilirubens come out in poop and baby hasn't pooped in 48 hours- I know. If he doesn't poop by morning poor thing will have suppositories. But at least that might mean the end of the light. Pray for poop.
yikes. This picture came out looking a lot more sci-fi than it actually is...
2 comments:
Poor little guy! I'll be praying that that biliruben works its way out of his system pronto. I know that anything that is threatening your baby is so very scary, especially when they are only a few days old!
Awwww, poor little Ben! I had jaundice too--
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