Feb. 11th, 2009 First Doctor's apt. 0 weeks, 4 days

We had our first big outing today: apt. with William's doctor and then the lactation consultant. He did great! We introduced the pacifier of which helped calm him down a couple of the times I couldn't just drop and feed him. He had dropped 9 ounces in the hospital to 6lb 1 ounce and was up to 6lb 2 ounces at the apt. (he anointed the scale with a good pee when he was done...the blessings of a son!). He had quite the cone head after delivery and shrunk to 19 1/4inches from 20inches at birth. They had to draw a bilirubin level because his skin and the whites of his eyes were looking a little yellow in color** We'll get the results tomorrow morning.

The lactation apt. went great. He's a pro-breastfeeder! Unfortunately I think my milk is just starting to come in, so he hasn't been able to fill his tummy with the good stuff like I know he wants (which will probably make the night shift a little easier!). I'm hoping that his good eating will bring his bili level right down and there won't be any treatment needed.


Yes, here's the nurse in me: ...for those who are curious...
**Jaundice is a common condition in newborns (50% of full term infants, 80% in premature). The yellow coloring appears because the liver and other organs aren't fully mature. One function of the liver is to remove the blood of bilirubin (substance left when old red blood cells are broken down naturally in the body). Usually bilirubin is removed by the liver, but until the liver fully functions it can build up in the blood stream and cause the skin and the whites of the eyes to turn yellow. Bilirubin can also be removed from the body in a baby's stool which requires frequent breastfeeds to keep the bowels moving to remove bili from their body.