Bilirubin Battle

Early in the morning the Saturday after Cooper was born (May 26, 2012), I noticed he was getting really yellow.  It didn't come as a shock to me, as both Hunter and Paizlei struggled with high biliruben numbers.  After the doctor came in on Saturday morning, he ordered a bilirubin blood test.  Coop's numbers came back at 14.  He was immediately started on the biliblanket.  I LOVED the biliblanket, because we were still able to hold him.  That night, he had to have another test, his numbers were up just a couple points...nothing too high.  The lab tested him again on Sunday morning.  We were hoping to get discharged Sunday morning, but that didn't happen, because his numbers weren't going down fast enough.  He had another test at 7pm.  We waited forever before we got the results.  Finally at 9:30pm, the nurse came in and said his numbers were low enough, the doctor was comfortable discharging us, but Coop had to be under bili lights at home.  The nurses arranged for home health to bring a biliblanket and a bilibed to our home that night.

At 9:45pm, we were loaded in the car and headed the whole block home.  Home health called Zane on our drive home and said they wouldn't be there until after 11pm.  Finally, at 11:30pm, they show up, set up the bilibed, go over everything with us, how to use it, how to clean it.  It ended up being the WORST fist night home in 3 kids.  Cooper HATED the bilibed!  All he did was cry.  I got frustrated with standing at the crib patting his tummy, after standing there for 3 hours, I put the bilibed on the floor and laid next to him. Still, all he did was cry.  After another hour or two of fighting, I gave up, put the biliblanket on his back and wrapped him in a blanket and held him the rest of the night.  Little did I know that would be THE BIGGEST mistake!

I took Cooper back to the hospital for another bili test Monday morning, as ordered by the doctor upon discharge.  Because it was Memorial Day, the doctor was out of town, so we had to wait to find out the results until he was back in town.  About 6:30, the charge nurse, Megan, called and said she had talked to the doctor, and he wanted me to take him back to the hospital for more blood work and another bili test.  About 7:15, the nurse came in and told me Cooper's bilirubin was at 19.1!  Way too high for the doctor to be comfortable with Cooper being at home.  He was re-admitted into the hospital on dual light therapy, IV Dextrose and formula only (I am nursing him).  I was devastated!  I did everything I could do to hold in my emotions until we were in our room.  Once there, I couldn't hold it in any longer.  I sent Zane a text and told him Cooper was being re-admitted and we needed the bili-bed at the hospital, and gave him a list of everything he needed to bring for us.

Once we were settled in our room, 2 nurses, Shayla and Jodie, came in and got Cooper's IV started, thankfully with only one poke.  He was not a happy baby.  I was already in tears, but watching them poke my baby and hear him crying, made me cry even more.  I kept thinking I needed to get Zane back there somehow to give Cooper a preisthood blessing, however, we couldn't get a hold of his uncle to come help him, and we couldn't find anyone to sit with the kids while he left.  So, I sent a text message to my friend Erin to see if her husband would be able to come down and give Cooper a blessing.  He jumped on it and found his neighbor to come help him.  While I was waiting for Woody and Brian to get there, the doctor showed up to check on Cooper.  He could tell I was having a VERY difficult time with it.  After he was done doing his assessment, he asked me if I had any questions or concerns.  I told him I was really mad at myself for leaving on Sunday night, because I was tired of being in the hospital and just wanted to go home and sleep in my own bed, be in my own home (I was given the option to stay til morning or go home on Sunday), I didn't even think about the Cooper and his battle with the bilirubin.  I was mad because I should have thought about Cooper before myself.  He told me not to think that way.  He said Cooper's numbers were going down and he felt comfortable sending us home last night.  Some babies just struggle and their numbers fluctuate.  He told me it wasn't my fault, still, it didn't make me feel any better.  I was still crying.  Before he left, he came around to where I was standing, and said, "I'm taking off my doctor coat and putting on my bishop coat" (he is also our bishop), asked me if there was anything he could do or any way he could help of the ward could help.  As he was walking out of the room, Woody and Brian showed up.  We had a brief ward gathering in the room for a minute, then he left.  Both Cooper and I received beautiful preisthood blessings.  I felt so much comfort and love from Heavenly Father.  My only wish was that Zane could have been the one to give us a blessing.

Cooper had another bili test when we arrived at the hospital on Monday night, not sure what the bilirubin was at.  He was tested again at 2am and 7am.  From that time, with the help of the IV Dextrose and the dual light therapy (the bili-bed and the bili-blanket), his bilirubin went from 19.1 to 16.4!  We were trending down!  Still not low enough to go home, but we were happy to hear the numbers were going down.  They tested him again at 7pm and he only dropped to 14.8.  I was starting to get really frustrated at this point, especially where he had such a HUGE drop in the short amount of time throughout the night.  The doctor came in that morning before clinic hours and said that if his numbers are still trending down at his 7pm test, the nurse would turn off the IV and see if his body can fight it without the need of the sugar water.  His 7pm test came back at 12.6.  Off went the IV.

Cooper was tested again Wednesday morning at 6:30am.  That test came back at 11!  The doctor came in before his clinic hours and discharged Cooper, with strict instructions:  Keep him under the lights day and night, taking him out only to change his diaper, to feed him and to take him in for bili tests.  I could reintroduce him to breast milk.

Over the next several days, Cooper's numbers were constantly going up and down.  I was FINALLY able to turn the lights off when Cooper was 13 days old, when he was tested again and his bilirubin was at 8.4.  I called my Mom in tears and told her I was finally able to hold, snuggle, smell, love, kiss...do all those fun things you do when you have a newborn...with my baby!  I FINALLY got to experience my newborn.

Cooper spent the first week of his tiny life in the hospital.  He spent most of his first week and all of his second week in lights.  No clothing, other than a diaper and socks.  No blanket.  No swaddling.  Poor little guy had 2 IV's before he was even 2 weeks old.