After Delivery

We stayed in the hospital for two more days (typical for vaginal deliveries) after I had Tyler. We got shuffled around a bit between rooms, but ended up in a comfortable but smaller postpartum room. Mike and I got to spend some time with Tyler, and Mike even changed a few diapers (before me!). During the night, Tyler stayed in the nursery and his nurse would bring him in our room for me to feed him. I had a little trouble getting the hang of breastfeeding at first, but practice makes perfect!

At around 2 am on Friday morning, the hospital tested Tyler's bilirubin level (jaundice). The blood test came back high, so they said he would have to be put uinder the bilirubin lights (they look like mini tanning lights) to help his body process the bilirubin. I was superemotional by then, so every time I thought of him by himself under those lights I would start crying. Mike had to keep telling me that it was better they discovered his jaundice while we were still in the hospital and they could treat him, instead of us discovering it at home and having to bring him back. I never thought I would be so protective of anyone in my life, but I just wanted Tyler with me.

Anyway, Ty's bilirubin level was 15 mg/L at 36 hours old (-ish), which put him in the moderate to high risk category. Every 12 hours or so, they would re-test Tyler's blood and his levels were going down. The older he got and the lower his bilirubin level went, the less risk he would be for any negative effects. Nevertheless, by the time I was discharged, the pediatrician didn't feel that Ty's bilirubin level was low enough and wanted to keep him under the lights for at least another 24 hours. My parents, sister, and brother-in-law came down on Saturday afternoon to visit, but they could only see Tyler when either Mike or I went to visit him in the nursery. So, we went home from the hospital without our little boy on Saturday.

Mike and I and one of my family members would go back to the hospital every 6 hours to visit and feed Tyler. I would pump while I was at home, so that the nurses could feed him breastmilk during the times I wasn't there to feed him. After 24 hours, Tyler's bilirubin was still too high for the pediatrician, so he wanted Tyler to stay under the lights for ANOTHER 24 hours. My mom was staying with us through the week, which was a great big help, since I couldn't walk around or do much around the house. Mike went to work on Monday, and my mom and I went to the hospital every 6 hours for the feedings. Finally, on Tuesday morning, we got a call from the pediatrician who said that Tyler's bilirubin level was way down, and we could come and get him whenever we wanted! We finally brought our son home on Tuesday, January 31! :)