My son is a Glow Worm.
He glows with a bluish/green hue. And he's still so stinkin' cute!
We had our first appointment with his pediatrician yesterday (and how weird was it to hear them call out for Little Major - The Colonel and I looked around, realized they wanted us, and had to scramble to get up and go). His doctor has gotten rave reviews around town, and she's also very nice. She looked over the squirt, and was concerned about his bilirubin levels (jaundice), so she ordered a blood test to check his counts. Now, the kid had already had this test done twice at the hospital - once when I was in the shower and once when they took him for his car seat test (more about that later), so I had never seen it done. It's HORRIBLE!! They stick his little heel and then SQUEEZE blood out until it fills a tube. The boy was screaming his head off, and the nurse had blood all over her - I felt like screaming, you're wasting it, get it in the tube!! At some point, Lil Major gave up his fight and just went comatose in my arms - poor guy. It took forever, but they finally got enough and let us take the pipsqueak home for a long nap.
We got the call last night that his levels are high enough that they want him to undergo phototherapy. I thought that would mean a trip back to the hospital, but no, this nice man brought us a bili-light/blanket that will allow us to give him the treatment at home. I was scared at first, my mom told stories of me going through jaundice treatment as an infant, with cotton patches over my eyes, lying naked under a lamp. But, this isn't like that. We wrap Lil Major in a lighted blanket and then cover him up with his blankets. He's done very well! And his mama only cried a little bit the first time I had to put him in it - Daddy had to come help out.
We go back to the doctor in a few hours to check again (does that mean ANOTHER heel stick??), and I'm praying that his levels have gone down. He's sleeping pretty well, and the fan from the machine may actually help soothe him.
Here's a picture of my glow worm - he's wrapped up pretty well so it's hard to see the light, but the hose comes out on the right side of the photo.
9 comments:
He looks nice and comfy! :-) Thank goodness the wee ones don't remember any of the horrible stuff that's done to them at such a tender age, even though we know its for their good, but it can still make us cring and cry whenit's being done to them...
Glad things or okay otherwise.
Love ya guys! :-)
Poor little guy! I'm glad he's sleeping better. What is a car seat test?
I know, I know, I know. It breaks your heart to see them do things like that to your precious baby. My Austin had jaundice and it was naked in front of the sunny window pooping our yellow curdled nastiness. Then Q was 8 wks premature and in the hospital for 12 days. They did all kinds of nasty to him, but he came home healthy so it was all right. He is such a cute glow worm!
your little glow worm is so cute! but i so agree with the other girls that thank goodness he won't remember a thing!
xoxo
what a cutie. Finn and Ollie were both 3 weeks early and had a bit of jaundice too. Ollie's pediatrician was quite the nazi and made him stay in the at-home "billi-bed" 24/7 for almost 5days, and would only let me hold him while feeding him. It was torture! And blood drawn every day till he bruised, and his billiruben levels were not even that high! Needless to say, I switched docs. Hang in there--it's all part of the newborn charm:)
Oh the exhausting and not fun things mama's must go through with their babies. I hated all of the heal prick tests. SO glad they have the little glow bed for him so he doesn't have to go back to the hospital...and that you don't have to put cotton on his eyes...and all that worse stuff. (bad sentence structure...but you know what I mean...) :) I'm praying for you...that you're getting some rest.
My kid had a jaundice as well. It happens to the BEST of them!
Gone for a couple of days and look what I miss! Congratualtions! So sweet!
Wow! I didn't know so many kids had the same experience. The doctor has been awesome and right on top of it w/ treatment. I'm going to LOVE our pediatrician!
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