No Not a Spray Tan, Just a Little Jaundice!

When Gavin was born he ended up with a nasty bruise on his head. Because of the bruise the nurses and doctors at the hospital said there was a chance he could develop jaundice, but that his color looked good.

He was born on a Monday and by Wednesday we noticed he was overly sleepy, not eating well and his color had changed from when we brought him home from the hospital. Luckily the doctor was able to see him right away and thank goodness because his jaundice was advancing pretty rapidly. When his bilirubin level was checked on Tuesday before leaving the hospital it was 5.7 and when we checked it on Wednesday it was 17.0. I know lots of babies get jaundice, but I broke down and cried.

The doctors office sent over a nurse that night to the house and we got Gavin set up on a bilibed. My poor little guy had to stay on his bilibed continuously except for feedings. He was so sleepy all the time and not eating enough so I had to wake him up every two hours to eat, which totally sucked at night. I was so exhausted. The only bright side was we were able to put the bilibed between us to sleep at night. It sucked not be able to hold him or cuddle him as much as we wanted.

Every day the nurse came to the house to check his color, weigh him and unfortunately draw his blood. He had to stay on his bilibed for five long days. He is now looking and feeling much better. Thank goodness for great doctors and nurses.