April 28, 2006
Golden Boy
If my son grows up to be a writer, the villain in his first novel will be named Billy Reuben.
Turns out Harper has a case of jaundice, which is a somewhat common condition in newborn babies wherein the immature liver can't process excess bilirubin, a waste product that results from the breakdown of hemoglobin molecules from worn out red blood cells. Babies with jaundice often have a yellowish appearance in their skin or eyes (Know how bruises often turn yellow as they heal? Again, the culprit is bilirubin).
On Wednesday we took Harper in for his two-day checkup with his pediatrician, and we mentioned that we thought he was looking a little yellow in the eyes. She checked his skin and said he did look mildly jaundiced, but she thought on the diagnostic scale of 1 to 20, he was maybe at an 8. When she saw his eyes, however, she ordered a blood test...just to check. And a good thing it was: When the results came back, the kid was hitting 19.5 out of 20 on the scale!
The recommended action was a course of home treatment that involves wrapping Harper in something called a BiliBlanket. Except "blanket" makes the thing sound all nice and cozy, rather than telling it like it is. It's actually a flexible fiber-optic paddle wrapped in rough hospital-gown paper that you must strap to the kid's body for as many hours a day as possible. The "blanket" is connected via a thick tube to a loud light-generator box that must be plugged in to the wall, so there is no mobility for Harper, or for Mama, Dad, or anyone else charged with holding and comforting him during the treatment (Henry the cat has not yet agreed to take a shift). In addition, we have to take Harper into the hospital every day to have blood drawn at the lab, so his bilirubin levels can be assessed again. Needless to say, this whole process can be quite maddening for a couple of newly postpartum parents, both of whom are sleep-deprived and one of whom is coming down from a 9-month hormone bender.
So you'll understand if we are not big fans of bilirubin around here. We have taken to saying things like, "Billy Reuben must die!" and "Billy Reuben, I'll get you someday!" and "Billy Reuben, I shall vanquish ye!"
Down with Billy Reuben!
3 comments
I'm sorry. :-( Olivia was jaundiced too. At her 2 day appt, the dr. ordered a blood test, but luckily, nothing came of it. Does he have negative blood? I've heard it's mroe common in babies with negative blood types, which Olivia has. I hope it goes away soon.
Hi Arin, I'm sorry little Harper is enduring those treatments, but wanted to tell you that my nephew Joshua had the same exact thing, and his was fairly severe as well. My brother was also very jaundiced when he was born. So he's gonna be just fine. Just gotta get him through his treatments and he'll be good to go. Don't worry. Take care and love to you two (I mean three!)
My baby also had jaundice. We had to put her in a bili light box. It was so hard not to be able to hold her. We had all kind of other problems due to the jaundice...eating problems, sleeping to much, etc. Death to Billy Reuben!!