I lay in the hospital bed recovering from Alex's birth. Having had very little sleep the night before. An excited first time mother all I did was hold my child. Sleep was a foreign concept. The nurses came and went checking to see how we did. Family members came by to see the new addition to the family. My husband and I displayed our beautiful bundle of joy.
Careful observation of the newborn showed a bruised crown of the head with what looked like a small drop scratch. But he was a good baby. He nursed well and slept well. Seeming to be alert and watching the shapes and light that moved about the room.
As the visitors started to come home we relaxed. We (my husband and I) discussed baby pictures and baby announcements. We were tired but happy. This is about the time that a nurse came to discuss vaccination for myself and my child. All newborns in the state of Oregon are offered a vaccination before the ever leave the hospital. As a first time mother I did not think to question this vaccine or the measles vaccine for myself. The nurse carefully explained all the good reasons both of us should be vaccinated and with little extra thought I agreed.
Later in the day she came by our room with the vaccines. As she pushed the needle into my arm she explained that I might develop a light rash in the next week or so as my body developed and processed the vaccine. That this was normal. I shook my head and we went back to being happy. Everything was happening as it should.
The next visit was from a doctor. The pediatrician doing rounds for Alex's doctors office. The doctor was quite loud as he entered the room noting how yellow Alex looked. He asked questions about how we were doing and examined the new infant closely. Alex was already developing what would be a very bad case of jaundice. The prescription lots of sunlight. It was explained to us that newborns often have a hard time detoxing. Vitamin D from the sunlight helps with this process.
The nurse worked with us. We stripped the infant of all clothing and opened the windows to allow him to absorb as much sunlight as possible. To regulate the newborns body temp he was laid upon my warm naked skin. Skin to skin contact. His body taking cue and warmth from my own. The day preceded like this.
My husband and I looked Alex over closely from head to toe. He did not seem yellow to me. I thought he looked healthy. I would not realize how bad the jaundice was until the next day.
Alex's pediatrician entered the room and calmly spoke with us. Asked how the baby was doing. We glowingly displayed our perfect bundle of joy. Speaking of how well he was doing. He ate well. He slept well. He displayed all bodily functions and seemed alert.
The doctor noted the jaundice and asked for a blood count to test how bad the jaundice was. Depending on how the number Alex may need to stay in the hospital under special lights. A feeling of fear, disappointment and anxiety flooded my body. I was suddenly very tired.
I was about to make what I consider to this day to be one of my worst mistakes as a new mother. Already I have made uneducated decisions about his health regarding vaccinations and I make it worse by taking my new born home and treat the jaundice at home myself.
Alex blood work numbers were worrisome but no cause for alarm yet. The doctor allowed us to go home. However, a special device was sent home with us that would expose him to the special vitamin D lights.
We were given exact instructions about getting as much fluid as possible into Alex this would help as well. He should be wrapped in the light blanket 24 hours a day. Protect his eyes from the light and come for a Dr. appointment the next day to check how he was doing.
Happy to be home I went upstairs to the nursery with the baby. We lay together in a tiny twin bed. Me trying to finally sleep. He lying there wrapped in a blanket of lights. I held him close making sure the lights covered as much of his body as possible. Only stopping long enough to feed him.
The first doctors appointment was painful. They pricked his foot to get enough blood to test if the jaundice was getting better or worse. The results indicated it was getting worse. The doctor explained that jaundice has a natural lifecycle and that it would peak before it started coming back down. This was the nightmare we would endure for several days. As we made trips back and forth between the doctors office so his blood could be tested.
It was now time for my next big mistake....
We were entering the weekend and Alex's jaundice had not peaked. The doctor showed concern and was on the fence about admitting him to the hospital. He carefully explained what the blood numbers meant and why keeping them below a certain number was so important. High numbers had been associated with mental retardations and developmental delays. We had to get his numbers down.
Alex was borderline. The doctor was worried about the numbers peaking over the weekend. I was scared. But we agreed to keep him at home and stay the course of treatment with a visit to the doctors outpatient building over the weekend. If I had this to do over again. I would have had Alex admitted to the hospital.
By Monday the numbers were starting to come back down. Alex did not need the blanket with the special lights anymore. We no longer had to force feed him extra formula in addition to the breast milk to increase fluids. We had a happy healthy baby and we were home.
