Mean Old Jaundice

Well...let me update you with how our first weekend at home went for us. It wasn't so much fun!

We knew when we left the hospital last Wednesday that Landry had a bit of jaundice...no big deal. Ashton had it and pretty much every other breastfed baby I know of had it as well. Our pediatrician wanted us to bring her in on Friday to have a weight check and jaundice check which is standard for jaundice babies. Her weight was up to 5 pounds and 13 oz (she was 5 pounds 10 oz when we left the hospital) so that was very exciting. So we move on to the jaundice check...the scanner they use now to check her bilirubin wouldn't read her level which means we had to go to the lab and have her foot pricked. Her level was a 22. Our doctor had told us in the office that if her level was less than 15 we were in good shape and nothing needed to be done other than keep her in the sunlight. Anything above 20 needs intervention because a level of 30 or higher could harm her.

We had to go to the hospital and spend the night there under the bilirubin lights to bring her level down. We got there around 1:00 on Friday and were able to come home on Sunday morning. She had her teeny tiny foot pricked so many times that she got "used to it" and didn't even cry when they did it...how sad is that?! By the time we left on Sunday her level was a 10 and they wanted it to be at 13 or below before she could be released. Also on Sunday they did another weight check and she back at her birth weight!

The picture is of her under the lights...she had to have the goggles on the entire time she was in there...she could only come out of the lights to feed and have diaper changes. She is fine now and the good thing is that she will not remember that any of this ever took place!