August 13, 2008

• The first 12 days …

  

   

  Day 1… we had a few more visitors come by, and received flowers, balloons, snacks/food, and gifts. I can’t believe how good I was feeling compared to my last delivery, when I had a hematoma. Also, Calista slept really well at night!

  

  Day 2 … Calista’s pediatrician told us her bilirubin levels were elevated (12.5) and suggested phototherapy. She also suggested I supplement with formula, but I refused because I was determined to nurse her exclusively. We went with just a bili-blanket treatment to see if her numbers would go down. … by evening, her bilirubin levels went up to 15, so we had to start the phototherapy. I still refused to give her formula, thinking my milk would come in soon (as it did with Zachary.)

  Day 3 … Her bilirubin levels dropped to 12.7, so while not ideal (under 10 is preferred), we were discharged from the hospital. Calie’s weight dropped to 7lbs 19oz, but dropping up to 10% is pretty typical for newborns. At home, we put her out in sunlight for an hour in the morning and evening.

    

  Day 4 … we went to get her checked at her pediatrician’s office and her weight dropped to 7lbs 15oz. My milk still wasn’t in, and the doctor was concerned she was getting dehydrated because of her weight drop and lack of wet diapers. At this point, she barely had any wet/dirty diapers.

  Day 5 … we called in a lactation consultant. Calie weighed in at 8lbs, so she was gaining weight, but still jaundiced because she had not passed all the meconium yet. The LC weighed her between feedings and determined that she was only getting 50ccs of breastmilk. Her recommendation was to supplement with soy formula to get Calie’s bowels moving, but to only give her 30cc after I nurse her to keep my supply up. So given my daughter was not thriving and my milk was barely coming in, I give up and supplement. I was disappointed, but felt like I gave it an honest effort – not only was I nursing her, I was pumping in between and in a lot of pain anyway… I needed to recover to maintain a long term nursing relationship. (And by long term, I mean 1 year, not 5)

   

  Day 6 … we went to the pediatrician’s office and Calie weighed in at 8lbs, 4oz. So her weight wasn’t an issue at all. The formula supplementation increased the number of wet diapers, but still no bowel movements. The doctor thought she looked fine (active/alert), but wanted us to get her bilirubin levels tested again. It came back at 21.6! We had to check into the hospital immediately for triple phototherapy. At the hospital, her bilirubin levels tested at 21.9. Poor Calie was attached to an IV and 3 monitors. I would nurse her every 2-3 hrs and then supplement with 30ccs of formula. She was under the lights all night had numerous meconium filled diapers (a good sign!) …

    

   

  Day 7 (1 week) … Calie’s bilirubin levels were retested and came back at 12.6. Everyone was happy with how she responded to treatment. By evening, it was down to 11.7, and we were discharged from the hospital. My mom warned us that Zachary was sick with a bad cold … and within the next few days all of us would get it. So on top of the stress and sleep deprivation, we all have sore throats, runny noses, and bad coughs.

   

  Day 8 … we went to the lab again in the morning to get her tested, and her bilirubin level was up to 13.1. The pediatrician wants her to get tested daily until they stabilize. My sister Alice came up for the weekend. She brought Calista a stuffed pig and Zachary a bug flashlight. She also stopped by the outlets to help pick up a Coach purse that I wanted to get my mom.

    

  

  Calie recieved her first “bath” (just a wet washcloth with some soap) today!

  Day 9 … another lab test, this time, results were 11.5

  

  Day 10-12 … more sunbathing. Our day 11 bilirubin results was also 11.5, so we don’t need any more repeat tests until her 2 week appointment on Friday. She is also refusing formula more and more often (only took 2oz on day 11), so day 12 (today), she’s back exclusively breastfeeding.

  

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