WE arrive home yesterday and today we need to bring Hugo for his 1st check up to see if he has jaundice. We went to Tampines Polyclinic at 10am since its nearer. Blood sample has been taken and the results came out immediately. You need to bring baby back to KKH.His bilirubin count is 236 which is pretty dangerous for a baby @ 2days old. I'm shocked. I just bring my baby home.
Went to KKH at 1pm,straight to A and E. After a while, baby was checked and the doctor told me that he needs to be admitted for photo theraphy. I cried... How long will it take? how many hours?
"2-3 days maybe.. depends wether the baby's bilirubin go down on a safe level. We'll get him monitored. "
Worst feeling ever. I need to leave my baby here? I'm breastfeedng him, can I stay? Will he be alright? questions after questions keep popping in my head. I'm shattered, looking at my baby who's color is becoming distinctively yellowish. Message my husband and somehow felt better, I know its for his good.
I am from Philippines and we never really take this things too serious. I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters that never got admitted for jaundice. My mom even told me "NO. don't leave him there, you just need to bring him out for sunlight." what she said never helped, just made me feel a lot worse. After hours of research about jaundice, I convinced myself, ok... He will be fine.
Jaundice
What Is Jaundice?
-Jaundice is the yellow colour seen in the skin of many newborns and happens when a chemical called bilirubin builds up in baby's blood. It can occur in babies of any race.
Why Does My Baby Have Jaundice?
-Bilirubin in the blood is normally removed by the liver. Before birth, the mother's liver does this for the baby.
Jaundice is common in newborns because their immature livers require a few days to develop before it can eliminate the bilirubin efficiently.
Can Jaundice Harm My Baby?
-Most infants have mild jaundice that is harmless. However, in some infants, the bilirubin level can be very high and this may cause brain damage. ( I actually freaked out when I read this because my baby's jaundice is also due to blood incompatibilty)
You can read more about rH incompatibility here:
Went to KKH at 1pm,straight to A and E. After a while, baby was checked and the doctor told me that he needs to be admitted for photo theraphy. I cried... How long will it take? how many hours?
"2-3 days maybe.. depends wether the baby's bilirubin go down on a safe level. We'll get him monitored. "
Worst feeling ever. I need to leave my baby here? I'm breastfeedng him, can I stay? Will he be alright? questions after questions keep popping in my head. I'm shattered, looking at my baby who's color is becoming distinctively yellowish. Message my husband and somehow felt better, I know its for his good.
I am from Philippines and we never really take this things too serious. I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters that never got admitted for jaundice. My mom even told me "NO. don't leave him there, you just need to bring him out for sunlight." what she said never helped, just made me feel a lot worse. After hours of research about jaundice, I convinced myself, ok... He will be fine.
Jaundice
What Is Jaundice?
-Jaundice is the yellow colour seen in the skin of many newborns and happens when a chemical called bilirubin builds up in baby's blood. It can occur in babies of any race.
Why Does My Baby Have Jaundice?
-Bilirubin in the blood is normally removed by the liver. Before birth, the mother's liver does this for the baby.
Jaundice is common in newborns because their immature livers require a few days to develop before it can eliminate the bilirubin efficiently.
Can Jaundice Harm My Baby?
-Most infants have mild jaundice that is harmless. However, in some infants, the bilirubin level can be very high and this may cause brain damage. ( I actually freaked out when I read this because my baby's jaundice is also due to blood incompatibilty)
You can read more about rH incompatibility here:
http://cerebralpalsy.org/about-cerebral-palsy/cerebral-palsy-risk-factors/blood-type-incompatibility-or-jaundice/
Hence, newborns should be checked carefully for jaundice and treatment should be administered to prevent a high level of bilirubin.
**updated
So yah, every morning at 10am I will call my baby's ward to check on his jaundice level count. the first day is still 236 so he can't come home yet. I went back in the room to tell my husband and burst into tears. (Gosh! I tend to cry everytime I remember that! ) My husband hugged me and let me cry. The next day, I went to KKH to see my baby, bring breastmilk which I pumped a night before (while crying) only managed to get 3bottles of 120ml. I went there at 2pm and stayed around the hospital. The nurse will call me when he needs to be fed. My husband will fetch me at the hospital after he's done at work. Stay with me until 9pm (coz visiting hours in the nursery is only until 9pm). So I did that for 3 more days, rather than resting at home.
4th day, when I call in to check, the nurse told me that Hugo can come home. Hurray! I jumped into bed with my husband and I am so happy!!!
But I must admit, I am really restless. Kept thinking of my baby, the thought of "i could be feeding him by now" makes my heart break. There was once I saw my husband staring at Hugo's photo on his phone, then I just cried. (i'm crying right now) duhhhhh! Guess that's normal for a first time mum.
Some are photos and you can see how swollen I become few days after giving birth.
**updated
So yah, every morning at 10am I will call my baby's ward to check on his jaundice level count. the first day is still 236 so he can't come home yet. I went back in the room to tell my husband and burst into tears. (Gosh! I tend to cry everytime I remember that! ) My husband hugged me and let me cry. The next day, I went to KKH to see my baby, bring breastmilk which I pumped a night before (while crying) only managed to get 3bottles of 120ml. I went there at 2pm and stayed around the hospital. The nurse will call me when he needs to be fed. My husband will fetch me at the hospital after he's done at work. Stay with me until 9pm (coz visiting hours in the nursery is only until 9pm). So I did that for 3 more days, rather than resting at home.
4th day, when I call in to check, the nurse told me that Hugo can come home. Hurray! I jumped into bed with my husband and I am so happy!!!
But I must admit, I am really restless. Kept thinking of my baby, the thought of "i could be feeding him by now" makes my heart break. There was once I saw my husband staring at Hugo's photo on his phone, then I just cried. (i'm crying right now) duhhhhh! Guess that's normal for a first time mum.
Some are photos and you can see how swollen I become few days after giving birth.
He's yellowish in this photo. This is before he get admitted to the ward.
That's the photo that makes me cry that time. Look at my poor baby's face. ):
We make a trip twice a week to the clinic to monitor his bilirubin count. It lasted for a month before the pedia said that his jaundice is all ok. Imagine how many pokes he had on both his feet?? I'm just happy its all over.