Our Little Glow Worm

When we were discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, March 20th (Hadley was just 1 day old), we were told that her bilirubin levels were borderline high. So we left with instructions to give her some indirect sunlight. I didn't think much of this news b/c we had to do the same thing for Shelby. But when we went back to the hospital on Friday, March 22nd for a 2 day post-discharge weight-check, her bilirubin levels had gotten even higher so we were prescribed with a Bili Blanket and we were told to keep it on Hadley at all times. We were also told to supplement with an ounce formula after each time I nurse her b/c the formula helps rid the body of the bilirubin.

The Bili Blanket was a bit stressful on us. There is already enough to worry about with a newborn & a toddler in the house, but this was just one more thing on our plates. It was a challenge at times to keep her on the blanket while trying to nurse or calm her down b/c the Bili Blanket had to be plugged in to the wall. After her high bilirubin levels on Friday, we had to go back to the hospital again on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday mornings for check-ups on her levels. To check her bilirubin levels, she had to get her blood drawn at each appointment which was just heart-breaking to watch. {Especially since she had already had countless blood draws during her stay in the hospital to ensure her blood sugar levels were okay. Hadley was considered "LGA" or "large for gestational age." In other words, she was a big ole baby!} Not only was it difficult to watch her get poked every day, it was a challenge in and of itself for sleep-deprived parents to get up, showered, dressed, and out the door every single morning. We were so thankful my mom was here to keep Shelby during all of the appointments for Hadley--it definitely made things much easier on us! For our memory's sake, the highest Hadley's bilirubin level got to was 18.5 on Friday & that is when we started the Bili Blanket. On Saturday her level dropped to 18.3 and stayed at 18.3 on Sunday. But on Monday, it dropped to 14.9! We were given instructions to stop using the Bili Blanket on Monday afternoon, and they would check Hadley's levels again on Tuesday to ensure her levels didn't spike back up once going off the Bili Blanket. We were also told we could stop supplementing with formula. Thankfully, at one week old on Tuesday, March 26th, Hadley's level had dropped again to 13.9! Hallelujah! We are thrilled that all is well with Hadley, and we are also thrilled that we don't have to go back to the hospital again until her 2 week check up! :)  Thank goodness!