Well, just as we thought Alex was in the clear as far as his bilirubin level goes, his level spiked back up to 19 today. Since the level for treatment is 18 and he lost an ounce since Monday (though Andy and I aren't convinced that it was actually an ounce and if it was, is that really that significant?), our pediatrician decided to admit him to Dayton Children's for phototherapy. We arrived here around 3pm and had to wait for a room. When we did get a room, it was a tiny room shared with another girl who was going home today after a week's stay for a kidney infection. Andy and the girls stayed with Alex and me until about 4:30. I took Alex down to radiology for a head ultrasound (who has ever heard of such a thing?). He has been shaking a lot since his birth and even before and I've mentioned it to the doctor. To be safe, she wanted to investigate further to make sure nothing is wrong. Eventually, we were given a private room which beats the pants off of that tiny closet-like room we were in before.
Alex pretty much hates being under the lights. He has to wear fancy baby sunglasses to protect his new eyes from the bright lights. I think this is the hardest thing for him to deal with. He likes to look around and being blinded has really cramped his style. Additionally, he has to lie in a hard, little bassinet wearing nothing but a diaper and his shades. As I type this, he's lying beside me shivering. I turned our room temperature up to 75 degrees (those of you who know us well know that we keep our house temperature set to 60 degrees so I'm BURNING hot) and he's still cold. My poor lad is cold and I'm powerless to help him because he needs the light exposure.
Feeling melancholy and helpless, I called my aunt and she didn't hesitate to stay with the girls for the night so Andy could be here with us. (THANK YOU, Brenda!!) Just knowing that I wasn't going to spend this night alone with our sick little guy relieved and enormous amount of stress. Andy arrived here around 9:40pm and brought some snacks. At that point, I couldn't have cared less about the snacks--I was just glad to have my husband here and Alex was relived that Daddy was by his side.
We don't know the plan for tomorrow but it sounds like we'll be here most of the day, if not through tomorrow night. We're keeping our fingers crossed that we'll get to go home tomorrow with a healthier baby boy. Our hope is that once he gets over the jaundice, he will start eating better and gain weight more quickly.
Time to feed the patient. We hope to have a happier update tomorrow.
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