Jonathan's First Doctors Appointments

Monday was Jonathan's first doctors checkup. He weighed 8lb, 14.5oz! Well on his way to gaining his birth weight back before his two week birthdate!! None of our kids accomplished that, so that's pretty cool for me :)

Height puts him in the 81st percentile and in the 71st percentile for weight. 

We switched pediatricians, for a number of reasons. So this was the first time meeting our new doctor and nurse practicioner. I really like them! So glad I switched!

We saw the nurse practicioner Monday, and she tested his bilirubin levels. Jonathan has obviously had jaundice but we haven't thought it worse than any other kids. And he's had no problem being awake and alert enough to eat plenty. But his bilirubin count came back at 15.5. Which was tettering on the edge of too high. Everyone agreed he would be ok if we just continued to feed him well and sun him a few times a day.

Wednesday we went back to the doctors. This time to see the doctor for a little procedure.... Poor little boy. The doctor was wonderful and did a great job! But when she tested his bilirubin again, it had soared to 20! So she ordered him a bili blanket and asked us to start supplementing with formula. That was a rough day.

Poor Jonathan was not feeling well that afternoon, as he recovered. And then we had to stick him in an uncomfortable "blanket" to boot. Poor kid didn't want to let go of me, even while he slept. So sweet.

I hope photos turn out ok, I'm trying to post from my phone since I can't leave the baby alone to go work on the computer. (Since he is attached to the biliblanket, he's not so mobile). I'll post better pics another day. 

Anyways, so Thursday morning we headed back to the doctors to retest his bilirubin again. The doctor ordered a few additional tests, just to play it safe. She's pretty confident that the reason his jaundice has gotten worse so fast is because of those little horns on his head. They're called cephalohematomas. Our midwife, doctor and nurse practicioner all agree that they're nothing to worry about. They're pockets of blood trapped between the skin and bone and will reabsorb over the next few weeks. It's common in babies who needed a vacuum at birth or came super fast and hit momma's pelvis on the way out. It's less common to have two, but not unheard of. The problem is that as the blood is slowly reabsorbed, the blood cells are broken down and bilirubin continues to increase faster than the liver can get it out of the blood. So those "horns" are most likely the cause of such elevated bilirubin numbers. But the doctor played it safe and tested his liver, kidneys, thyroid and hemaglobin just to be sure.

Jonathan's bilirubin test today came back at 18.6. Better than 20! But still not good enough. It needs to be below 15 to get off the biliblanket. And 20+ means hospitalization. So praise God we avoided the hospital! But we will remain in the biliblanket and formula supplements through the weekend. Once his numbers come down, there's almost no chance of them rising agin. 

Jonathan's other bloodwork wasn't all perfect though. His hemaglobin and thyroid levels were elevated and it has the doctor and nurse practicioner puzzled. My midwife is skeptical though. She thinks it's just due to him being a late term baby. The doctor is erring on the side of caution and having him retested in the morning. If the numbers are still elevated, she will refer us to an endocrinologist tomorrow. From what I've read on dr google, elevated hemaglobin isn't unusual for late term babies and the most common treatment is just lots of feedings/hydration. But the elevated thyroid could be contributing to jaundice, if it truly is elevated. The retest in the morning will tell us more.

In the mean time, we wait and pray, and snuggle. And don't sleep... We have to feed Jonathan every 2-2.5 hours. No more letting him take his occasional 4-5 hour stretches of sleep. Which means no sleep for momma either. It's been a long week.....

None of this is life threatening or long term. Well, the thyroid could be a life long thing. But it's not life threatening. His bilirubin isn't high enough to really worry (25+ can cause brain damage, deafness, etc). He's going to get over all of it soon. The doctor just wants to be aggressive and make sure jaundice is gone sooner than later. And make sure that she's not blindly assuming it's due to those 

cephalohematomas. I like her, and the nurse practicioner. And it's been just as great to still have my midwife's input along the way. She was very helpful yesterday! Jonathan is blessed to have three amazing medical professionals working together for his best interest!

I'll keep you updated as we learn more. Please pray for our little guy. He's still sore from his circumcision yesterday, and now he has lots of sores from pokes and needles. He will get another tomorrow... Poor little guy has been through a lot in 9 days! But he's still content and happy! We are blessed!