Bilirubin Levels

We had been told that we would most likely be discharged Thursday 9/29/11 at 11am.

I can assure you I was more than ready to return home.

Sitting in a hospital bed for nearly 50 hours can cause one to get a little stir crazy.

Bud had spent the night at home with his Mom as she was going to be leaving early to fly home.

When Bud arrived around 7am he was excited that we were going to be heading home to start our new life as a family of three.

Breakfast was delivered, albeit not my breakfast, but someone else's.

I still ate it.

They called to take a lunch order from me, but I told them we were supposed to be gone before lunch so I didn't need to order.

The nurse came to take Bitsy to the nursery for her final check up and to double check her bilirubin levels.

Bilirubin is an orange-yellow pigment formed in the liver and is a symptom of jaundice.

The safe level is any number under 10, however, when Bitsy had last been checked she came in at 10.2 on the bilirubin scale.

This meant that she was borderline and the doctor would have to decide if she was allowed to be discharged.

11 o'clock came and we still hadn't received our discharge papers.

I take that back.

I had been told that I would be discharged, but Bitsy was still waiting for the doctor's approval.

Worse case scenario they told us they would either send us home with a biliblanket, which is a portable phototherapy device for the treatment of neonatal jaundice OR they would keep her overnight under a lamp in the nursery.

I was not fond of the last option because it meant that I would have to go home and return every few hours for feedings.

12 o'clock came around and we all were still sitting in the room waiting.

I'd skipped lunch and was regretting not having ordered when I had the chance.

Bud went in the hall and found the food lady, luckily someone who HAD ordered lunch was already discharged and they had her food available!

1 o'clock....still waiting.

2 o'clock....still waiting. 

Bud and I were both impatient and antsy to get going.

Bud continuously checked with my nurse to see if anything had been updated.

Still nothing.

3 o'clock....still waiting.

4 o'clock....verdict was in.

We were going home.

As it turned out our doctor had cleared Bitsy to go home much earlier and had told the other doctor working our case to call the nurses and tell them.

She, however, didn't call the nurses and thus we had waited around for nothing.

Finally at 4:30pm we were homebound.

I can't express how happy I was to step foot back into my own home again.

The dogs were happy to see me and barely even noticed the baby.

After we got settled it all set in.

We were home, all THREE of us, a FAMILY!

Life wasn't over, it had only just begun, and I am so ready for this new journey!

I hope you all had a Blessed Thursday!

P.S. On October 3rd Bitsy had her first follow-up appointment.  It was at this appointment that we were told her jaundice was improving and Bitsy was gaining weight in a healthy manner!  We are so glad she is free and clear of any real problems!