Gianna’s Jaundice

First we’ll ask you to please pray for Gianna and that she will quickly recover from her jaundice.  Adam mentioned Gianna’s jaundice in his previous post.  Here is what has transpired since.

Gianna tested positive for Coombs.  It’s the same thing Therese had when she was born.  Both girls have different blood types than me: A-.  I’m O+.  But my blood passes to them in utero and our blood types mix.  Even though all babies get some jaundice after they are born, babies who are positive Coombs often have higher levels and hence more severe jaundice because the antigens in our blood types are incompatible.

So Gianna’s bilirubin levels went from 9.3 on Sunday when we left the hospital to 15 on Monday, 17 on Tuesday and 19 yesterday.  When it gets to the high teens and 20s phototherapy is needed.  So, like Therese, Gianna is now attached to the bililight until her bilirubin levels go down to 12 or 13.   Today’s level was 16.9. Praise God it’s going down.

For the most part, this is all pretty normal.  The only complications that Gianna has over Therese is that Gianna received a hemotoma (a bruise on the head–blood between skull and skin) and a few other bruises on the face (one in her eye) during birth.  Bruising produces additional bilirubin.  (That’s why our skin turns yellowish when we bruise.)  Her bruising may keep the level elevated longer than normal.

So at this point what we need is for Gianna to nurse well, gain weight and poop.    She hasn’t gained weight since Tuesday or she may have lost a couple of ounces.  That’s not good to me, but the doc hasn’t suggested supplementing with formula yet.  The bililight does cause some dehydration.  She was born 8 lbs 9 oz.  She’s back up to 8 lbs.  She’s also not pooping a lot.  Pooping gets rid of the bilirubin apparently.

For us this means we have to go into the doc’s every morning to get her blood drawn and get her levels checked.  I also have to wake her ( and me) every two hours to nurse her. This is tiring, and she a good night sleeper too; but it must be done.  This evening it has been especially difficult to wake her.  And it has been emotionally difficult for me to hold my limp little baby in my arms and struggle to nurse her.  I know this too shall pass…

Thanks you in advance for all your prayers.