Fredegar had his second check-up yesterday. About a week and a half ago the doctor was a bit worried because he was looking quite yellow. They took a blood test and his bilirubin was at 14.5 which the doctor said was "ok". Yesterday the doctor said he still looked yellow, but is growing, eating and doing all the stuff babies should be doing, so he is not concerned. He weighs 9-8 now and is filling out. My daughter and I say he looks like a potato, but my husband says no.
Fredegar is such a good baby. Having a non-colic baby is so easy and is so much fun. Post partum itself is so easy this time around. I have no post partum depression, no mastitis, I am very blessed. He is so cute I can't stand it. Even when he decides to keep me up at night, all he does is sit there and stare at me with his cute little eyeballs in his tiny, little round head.
The only thing I am upset about is I am still rather zoftig. I only can fit into my yoga pants these days and I do not look like I do yoga. I am going on my diet after Thanksgiving. I have been dying to work out, but cannot find a spare minute as of yet. My husband says I need to chill since I just had a baby. He is right, but I know the longer I wait the harder it is to get back into shape. And I am too vain to buy new clothes in a larger size. I guess I am also a little paranoid because I do not wish to hear any speeches from my grandmother about how she is making novenas for me because I am starting to look "matronly".
I am happy to report that we (finally) had a baby boy a week and a half ago ... this was our first child that we didn't get the "yellow" comment for ... usually they look fine to me and the doc or midwife will comment "hmmm, looks a little yellow ... try exposing his skin to the sunlight thru a window if you can" This time I was fully prepared for it, mainly because the less I see it, the more they seem to notice it ... this time, the midwife says "no jaundice, he looks great".
hmmmmm?
Potato ... Consider the nickname "spud" ... it would probably be great to go thru life being called "spud" as in ...
"Spud, you're the best" or
"Spud, pass me the socket wrench"
Congratulations Mr Merrill! So glad you had a healthy, yellow-free baby.
congrats Mr. Merrill.
Pansy, your potato comment made me laugh. Your baby looks so much like you, it is also obvious to Davey's daddy. I don't know why, but I always find it funny-sweet to see these grownup faces on little newborns. I never really noticed how much kids do tend to resemble family members until I had my own, for some reason.
Wonder if something specific predisposes to jaundice -- no one ever breathed a word to us, and yet there was talk of both kids "not getting enough" milk at a certain stage -- thought it was sometimes linked to that and it seems like it can be overdiagnosed/overreacted to so I am just surprised and grateful we escaped.
Davey's Mommy,
There are two types of jaundice-one that is immediate and then there is breastfeeding jaundice. Breastfeeeding jaundice occurs around 8 days after birth and can be common to all the babies in a family because it is from an anti-body in the mothers milk that makes it slower for the infant to break down the bilirubin.
Congratulations on your recent addition. :) I am the mommy of two "yellow" babies. Both had extended stays at the hospital but they are both thriving and have more energy than I can muster. I should own stock in a coffee company. Race can play a factor in jaundice. I guess oriental babies are 3X as likely to have jaundice. I didn't know that, but after my daughter was born the doctor mentioned that she had been expecting it.
BTW- Don't worry it's not time for the novenas yet, give yourself at least a couple of months. Sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on your work-out performance anyway. ;)
Our first son was jaundiced and we put him in the window. Set his bouncy seat on the portable dishwahser under the kitchen window, unsnapped his sleeper and pulled his little yellow arms out, and all that yellow disappeared within a few days.
My youngest is now 9 (years) and I am finally realising that I can no longer excuse my waistline on giving birth. Your husband is right. Strap that little one into a snugli and go for a few walks in the yoga pants. Wait til after Christmas at least for anything more strenuous (or restrictive)!
Peace.
Janet
Race can play a factor in jaundice. I guess oriental babies are 3X as likely to have jaundice.
One of my doctors told me it could be from the Chinese or Italian blood. My Posco had to stay in the hospital longer as did all my brothers. So race or not,it is genetic.
Pansy, are you thinking the breastfeeding jaundice the same as ABO Incompatibility? (which one could get without being breastfed at all) Most of my 10 children have been jaundiced to a certain degree and it is almost always because of the ABO Incompatibility, which of course nothing can be done to prevent, but at least one can know what to watch for. Since I found out this is what has caused my newborn's jaundice, I make sure they type the baby's blood (from the cord blood at birth). Since I am O postive, they know that basically if the baby is something other than that, we should look for signs of ABO Incompatibility (usually beginning 3 days after birth).
Karen,
You know, I don't even know-I explained it the way thge doctor explained it to me. Part of me wanted to ask more, and part of me was just "Ok, he is doing well, I'm leaving now."
Honestly though, we are all A+ except for Fastolph and my husband who are O+.
Oh, that's interesting. I'm A-, D's and T's daddy is B-, I'm pretty sure D is AB-, and I don't remember hearing with T but his dad thinks he heard AB- also. No idea what ABO incompatibility is all about but I wonder if this configuration has helped with complete lack of jaundice.
The definition of ABO Incompatibility is as follows: This condition is caused by an antibody (anti-A-haemolysin) that is sometimes present in the blood of women who have blood group O. If the baby is group A, this antibody may cross the placenta and damage the baby's red blood cells. This happens in a similar way to rhesus disease, but is less severe as the antibodies are relatively weak in their effect. The baby rarely becomes anaemic and no treatment is usually needed. The haemolysis of red cells tends to cause jaundice in the first week after delivery. Whether this might be a problem in a subsequent pregnancy depends upon the baby's blood group. Group A tends to be the most likely to be affected. Haemolysins to group B do occasionally occur. If the baby has blood group O, then they will not be affected by these antibodies. The chance of your baby having one blood group as compared to another depends upon your partner's blood group as well as your own.
I think I have one type O baby out of all of mine. My husband is type A, hence the usual incompatibility. My worst baby was Katie who ended up readmitted to the PICU at 6 days and she stayed under the lights (except when I nursed her) for 2-3 days straight. I think she got so bad because when I brought her home there was NO sun for several days. Usually I at least get a day of it, but not that time.
Congratulations! I have had five "yellow" babies each to varying degrees. Only one had to stay in the hospital (#4). My lst ws yellow for about three months. His tiny tushie was the last place to get pink. I found sitting them in the snugglie seat in our bay window with as little clothing s possible on helped. Sunshine is an excellent way to "de-yellow". Just put up the heat and sit him in the sun.
I am glad you are enjoying him so much, it makes me miss having a newborn. My youngest is 20 months and I am feeling the need for a newbie again. God bless.