Gabriel had his first pediatric visit on Monday and the doctor couldn't be more happy with his (and our) progress since his birth, but he thought that Gabe looked a little yellow and was concerned about jaundice so he sent us to a nearby hospital to have his bilirubin level checked. Everyone has bilirubins in their blood, but your liver tends to take care of it - jaundice in adults is a sign of liver failure. Babies livers aren't initially up to the task though. At day 5, a normal baby's levels peak at around 14 mg/dL, but Gabe was at 23 mg/dL. This put him at medium/high risk (for what I later found could cause Kernicterus, a form of brain damage) and that he would have to go to the hospital for photo-therapy. This is where they put him under UV lights until his levels come down.
He, Erin and I headed over to Wake Med's Children's Hospital and he was kept under the lights for 20 or so hours. When his level got under 18, they sent us home. His level was checked again today and he's doing just fine. We're happily back at home. So I leave you with a picture of Gabe looking uber-cool in his bilirubin light shades.
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2 comments:
Glad everyone is doing well and that you're done with hospitals for awhile!
I wonder if this will turn Gabe into a tanning addict...
Yes Gabriel is uber cool - perfect in every way! Can't wait to wrap our arms around that sweet pea -
Love, J4
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