Kilee's jaundice

So to continue with the whole labor story...we had Kilee at 3:10am on a Friday morning. So about 4am on Saturday morning, they tested her jaundice levels and she was at a 7, which I was informed is in the upper intermediate range. They said she would have to be above a 9 before they would put her under the billi lights. And at this point she had only lost 5oz. My doc thought they would make us stay until Sunday morning because I had the group B strep, but the pediatrician had told me that since I got two bags of the anti-botics, that as long as her jaundice levels were ok, we could be released Saturday. So I was hoping and praying we would be able to go home then! Being at home is SO much nicer and easier than the hospital.

Another side note Ben story: on Friday night Ben left me for about 4 hours so that he could go home and reload some bullets. and then early Saturday morning he went to the shooting range for a few hours with his buddies. I told him he basically has the most awesome wife because who has heard of a wife #1 - giving her husband a haircut during active labor and #2 - letting her husband reload bullets and go shooting while she is in the hospital with a newborn?! To which he replied, yep you are the best! LOL

Anyways, Saturday around noon or so, we were released from the hospital! yay! I was SO glad to go home. On monday morning we took Kilee to her first doctor appointment...she weighed 7# 2oz, so she was back to gaining weight which was good but the doc said she looked really yellow so he had me go get her blood drawn to test her jaundice. He told me "as long as she is below a 14, we will not worry". So I wait around all day and they finally call me and tell me her jaundice is at a 15. He then told me, its really high but its not critical. He said he wouldnt have me check her back in the hospital unless she got to a 21. So then he told me I needed to get her blood drawn AGAIN the next day to see if her levels were going up still.

Side note: when they take blood to test for jaundice the take an entire VILE full of blood. poor baby. I was thinking do they even have that much blood in them?! Kilee was a trooper though. Only cried during the poke the first time and didnt even wake up during the second time! (she is a SLEEPER for sure! I have to wake her up to get her to eat!)

So then we had to wait around all day again for the results. Doc called and said her level was still at a 15 and that was promising because it meant that the jaundice had probably peaked and wouldnt be going up any higher. He said I didnt need to get her tested again (thank goodness) but to bring her in to see him the next day. So we took her in (she is now a week old at this point)...she weighed 7# 5oz which was a good sign and he said her coloring was looking better.

you can kinda see her yellowish-orangish color in these pics

chubby cheeks:)

I love how babies cuddle up like this!

So we have been sunbathing her for a couple hours a day and she poops all the time (which is how they get the billi-rubin out of their system) so I think she is doing better. Still looks kinda orangish to me, but not as bad as it was. The doc wants to see her again this week for a follow-up, so we go back on Thursday to make sure everything is A-ok! She has been majorly stuffed up (not from a cold, just from the gunk they get from being in the womb) but that is finally starting to clear up. And now she has clogged tear ducts. Poor kid...cant catch a break!