The 5 days after her birth were a little crazy to say the least. I was moved into my own room, which was TINY since they were pretty full. We decided to have Alex room in with us to make it easier on feedings. We all basically relaxed and rested the rest of the day. The rest of the days kinda blur into each other so I'll just let you know what happened since I can't remember what days it happened. It started out her blood glucose level was low and she wasn't able to maintain her body temperature. She was very slow to feed and my milk wasn't in yet so she that's why her glucose level was low. They said once my milk came in, it should fix the problem and it did. To help her maintain her temp, they bundled her up with 2 layers of clothes, 2 swaddles and a fleece blanket on top. By the 3rd day she was maintaining her own temp. Friday, the doctor thought she looked jaundice. She had also lost 140 grams of her weight overnight, which was concerning since she didn't have much to lose to begin with. My doctor had already told me I could be discharged, but if they were keeping her an extra day, I could board in so I could keep my room, but the nurses wouldn't check on me and I wouldn't get meals. It was basically so I could be there for feedings through the day and night. Alex's doctor decided she wanted her to stay an extra day so she could get photolight treatments. The treatments could be done in our room. It looked like a flat bag that went right up against her skin and had a blueish green glow. She had to wear an eye mask type thing to protect her eyes. It was so sad seeing her in the little mask but it didn't seem to bother her. Since I was no longer a patient, I could come and go as I pleased. Josh and I both decided it would be good for me to get out of the room for a while so Alex went to the nursery while Josh and I went home. I got to see Cooper, who I missed so much and I packed a few things, we went to Walmart to get a few things, then had dinner. I was only gone for an hour and a half so I didn't miss a feeding. After I got settled back in, Josh left to take Cooper to Linda's since we didn't know when we would actually be going home. Alex fed like a champ that night which was amazing. My milk came in so she was getting more calories which was supposed to help with the jaundice. The next morning, they did blood work and her bilirubin levels had gone up and she lost 100 more grams. The only thing we could do was stay another night and continue with the feedings and light treatments so we did that. The next morning, she had actually gained weight and her bilirubin levels had still increased, but it was nothing to be alarmed about. Around 11am the doctor told us Alex would be discharged, but we would have to have her to have blood drawn in the morning and follow up with her pediatrician later that day so they could check her bilirubin levels. We did that today, she gained 2 oz and again her bilirubin levels increased. (they are supposed to increase every day since your body can handle more and more each day, but she still continues to be on the lower part of borderline.) We have another appointment tomorrow to have her levels checked again so we will see how that goes.
Yesterday was surreal bringing home Alex for the first time. She was not too happy about being in her car seat, but she got used to it in the quick ride home. We brought her in and just sat with her a while. When we put her in her crib she cried, but only because she was hungry. I started doing things around the house because it looked like a wreck. Over all, the evening went pretty well. She was a little fussy, but we expected that since it was a new place. Josh went to pick up Cooper and when he came in, he was immediately mesmerized by the baby. He licked her head, hands and feet. She didn't even flinch. He let out a few little barks which also didn't faze her. The picture above is their first meeting. We put her back in her crib and he didn't like it since he could no longer see her. The bumper is actually 4 separate pieces, so we took the front one off so he could see her. The slats are just wide enough for him to stick his nose through so he kept an eye on her. He spent most of the evening going in and out of her room just looking at her. Any time we moved her, he had to be right there. Josh crashed on the couch around 9:30 with Alex in his arms and Cooper at his feet. I got her around 11 for a feeding then put her down. We had a great night, only 2 feedings! Cooper of course was right by my side any time I got up so he could keep an eye on both of us.
We relaxed this morning, the headed out to run a few errands. We went to have her blood drawn. I let Josh hold her because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it if/when she started crying. I of course started tearing up a little, but she was great. She cried for a few minutes, then all was good. She fell asleep and pretty much slept while we wan errands. We went to Toys R Us to get a few things. We found some shirts that will fit her. All of her clothes just swallow her because she is so tiny. We also went to Circuit City to get a new camera. Then we grabbed lunch and headed to the doctors office. She was great. I am hoping every night will be as easy as last night, but I know that is just wishful thinking!
Nap time for me, the days events drained me a bit!
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