Off to a Rough Start...

The day after my parents left, Bean had his first pediatric appointment. Dustin and I were anxious to go to the doctor because we could tell that he had lost weight and was looking jaundice to us. Also, he had not had a bowel movement in two days. I was a nervous wreck. I must also mention that before we went to the doctor, Bean took his first bath at home in the sink. Daddy did most of the work. Bean HATED it.

Frogger!

We arrived at the doctor's office and were seen immediately. The nurse weighed him. 8lbs 1oz. He had lost nearly a pound. I immediately broke into tears. Clearly nursing was not going as smoothly as I thought it was. We went into the room and waited for the doctor. I was a mess. When Dr. Gadea came in, she took him and began to look him over. I could tell she was concerned but she tried to keep me calm. She told us that he did indeed have jaundice and that we would need to go get blood work drawn to confirm his bilrubin  levels. He was not eating enough (it took 5 days for my milk to come in) and that was why he had not had a BM. This, combined with the hematoma on his head, was causing his jaundice to worsen rather than subside. She gave us a prescription for the blood work and sent us straight to the lab at the hospital. She said that she would call us with the results that afternoon. Meanwhile, it was our job to feed him every two hours on the dot. She gave us samples of formula (which broke my heart) and told us to monitor his nursing/formula intake as well as his wet and messy diapers. We were to return the next morning to check his weight and see her again.

Jaundice baby :(

We went straight to the lab as instructed and they drew his blood. I was still very sore and was not released to carry him while he was in his car seat. Only one parent could go back with him so Dustin took him. It was probably for the best as I was heartbroken, frantic, and a nervous wreck. I will never forget how horrible this day was!

After they took his blood, we went home and tried to continue our day. I pumped as often as possible. I chose to give him breastmilk via the bottle so that I knew EXACTLY how much he was getting. We supplemented with the formula. He was eating well and finally had a poopy diaper. By that afternoon, he was using the restroom like a champ. Poo and pee after every feeding. I was overjoyed and sick to my stomach at the same time. He hadn't been getting nearly enough food for the first 5 days of his life.  I felt so guilty. I had no idea because he was always so content. He wasn't fussy and he was alert...Dustin and I thought that the nursing was going great. I tried to put that out of my mind for the time being.

Ooops! I missed the diaper!

The doctor called that afternoon and said that when he left the hospital his bilrubin levels were a 3 and the recent blood work showed that the levels had jumped up to a 13. We needed to continue monitoring his diapers and put him in indirect sunlight for ten minutes a day. She would see us in the morning for a weight check and if we needed anything in the meantime, we were to call her directly. The evening came and while he was more lethargic than usual, his diapers were full and we decided to wait until the morning to speak with the doctor.

The next morning, we quickly got dressed and jumped in the car. Both of us had noticed that he was not nearly as orange today! He also looked like he had put some of the weight back on. We waited in the lobby for "Xavier Bledsoe" to be called. When they called us back, we went directly to the scale. He weighed 8lbs 11oz. He had gained 10 oz in a day! Hallelujah!! I broke into tears yet again (Did I mention I was a hormonal wreck for the first 3 weeks of this child's life?)...this time they were tears of joy!  We waited for the doctor and I could tell she was relieved. She told us that we could slow it down slightly with the feedings as we may have over done it, however, she was very pleased with his appearance. Xavier took this opportunity to show her that his urinary track was working just fine...he peed all over her! She was no longer worried about the jaundice or anything else. I remember her words very vividly..."He is perfect." It was just what I had needed to hear!

Healthy Beanie :)