Plum Becomes a Prune
Nothing is more exciting (or more frightening) to new parents than bringing that new baby home. After 9 plus months of preparation, the day finally arrived. Everything seemed alright. The baby was born at a robust 8 pounds and 6 ounces. Mom appeared to be making a speedy recovery. We decided to breastfeed and dutifully attended all available lactation classes and consulted more experienced mothers. The good news was that Aidan seemed to be a natural. He latched on well, appeared to moving his jaw and mouth appropriately. Still, after 48 hours no milk appeared. We were told to stick with it and to expect her milk to come in "at any time". Compounding our anxiety was the fact that Aidan was jaundiced. This is common in breastfed Asian babies, so we held our breaths and took the moppet home.
The next 24 hours was the longest day of our lives. During this period, Aidan appeared to feed very well. Yet, something was wrong. His naps grew shorter while his cries grew longer. Literally, in the course of 12 hours, we saw his lips become chapped and his cheeks shrink. We knew dehydration is risk for breastfed babies, but clinical picture was not clear. He looked dry, but he continued to make the appropriate number of wet diapers. He latched on well to Jen's breast but easily lost interest. He also refused the bottle of formula we tried to supplement. During the whole time, he was easily arousable and very interactive, but his color became more yellow.
The morning came, and we went to check his bilirubin. It was higher than at discharge, so we decided to take him into the intensive care nursery. His total bilirubin reached 17 mg/dl, his serum sodium was elevated, and he had lost 1 pound and 1 ounce from his birth weight in 72 hours. He was immediately admitted for hyperbilirubinemia and dehydration.
Over the next two days, he responded very well to IV fluids and phototherapy. He's now nursing well and sleeping well. We're still continuing to breastfeed, although supplementing with formula a bit more liberally. We wanted to share this experience to highlight how subtle neonatal jaundice can be and to share some resources to answer some questions.
Thank you for your prayers.
The next 24 hours was the longest day of our lives. During this period, Aidan appeared to feed very well. Yet, something was wrong. His naps grew shorter while his cries grew longer. Literally, in the course of 12 hours, we saw his lips become chapped and his cheeks shrink. We knew dehydration is risk for breastfed babies, but clinical picture was not clear. He looked dry, but he continued to make the appropriate number of wet diapers. He latched on well to Jen's breast but easily lost interest. He also refused the bottle of formula we tried to supplement. During the whole time, he was easily arousable and very interactive, but his color became more yellow.
The morning came, and we went to check his bilirubin. It was higher than at discharge, so we decided to take him into the intensive care nursery. His total bilirubin reached 17 mg/dl, his serum sodium was elevated, and he had lost 1 pound and 1 ounce from his birth weight in 72 hours. He was immediately admitted for hyperbilirubinemia and dehydration.
Over the next two days, he responded very well to IV fluids and phototherapy. He's now nursing well and sleeping well. We're still continuing to breastfeed, although supplementing with formula a bit more liberally. We wanted to share this experience to highlight how subtle neonatal jaundice can be and to share some resources to answer some questions.
Thank you for your prayers.
posted by Rob and Jen at
7:23 PM
1 Comments:
Hurrah for Aidan's recovery! We remember Colin having jaundice as well. And not cooperating with the breast feeding. So I guess Aidan's right on schedule for a Chinese baby. :-)
By
Frank, at 12:10 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home