Update on the Jaundice
Posted: May 30th, '12, 13:33
Rowan has developed some jaundice since birth so I figured I'd record it This is a fairly common issue with newborns caused by Bilirubin building up in the system. Typically, the levels peak about 4 days after birth.
At the point when they released Rowan and Meghan from the hospital, it was under the condition that Meghan bring him back for a blood test on Monday. That test came back with a reading of 15.1. On Tuesday, a doctor looked at Rowan and ordered another blood test. This one came back with a reading of 18. Based on that, the doctor either wanted to re-admit him to the hospital or have us use what is known as a biliblanket on him. We opted for the latter. Rowan has been hooked up to the biliblanket since about 6:30pm last night with a gap between 10:30 and 11:45 when we went back for another blood test.
A biliblanket is not really a blanket at all. It's a plastic pad about the size of the baby's back that hooks up to a big hose which is connected to a canister that emits some kind of blue light. The light travels up the cord which is made of fiber optic cable and shines on the skin of the baby. This light somehow causes the bilirubin in the baby's blood to break down so that it can be easily eliminated from his system. Somehow it does this without being hazardous to look at or causing a sunburn. Although somewhat of a nuisance and not particularly comfortable for the baby to sleep on, we hope it will work quickly. We should get the results of today's blood test later this afternoon.
At the point when they released Rowan and Meghan from the hospital, it was under the condition that Meghan bring him back for a blood test on Monday. That test came back with a reading of 15.1. On Tuesday, a doctor looked at Rowan and ordered another blood test. This one came back with a reading of 18. Based on that, the doctor either wanted to re-admit him to the hospital or have us use what is known as a biliblanket on him. We opted for the latter. Rowan has been hooked up to the biliblanket since about 6:30pm last night with a gap between 10:30 and 11:45 when we went back for another blood test.
A biliblanket is not really a blanket at all. It's a plastic pad about the size of the baby's back that hooks up to a big hose which is connected to a canister that emits some kind of blue light. The light travels up the cord which is made of fiber optic cable and shines on the skin of the baby. This light somehow causes the bilirubin in the baby's blood to break down so that it can be easily eliminated from his system. Somehow it does this without being hazardous to look at or causing a sunburn. Although somewhat of a nuisance and not particularly comfortable for the baby to sleep on, we hope it will work quickly. We should get the results of today's blood test later this afternoon.