Jedi Training

Parker was diagnosed with Jaundice today. This is a fairly common problem caused by the increase of the chemical bilirubin in the body. Bilirubin is a byproduct of the normal breakdown of red blood cells and is usually transformed by the liver. In premature babies, the liver may not function completely at first, so bilirubin builds up and gives the baby's skin a yellow tone. The treatment for this condition is to put the baby under special blue lights called bili lights that break down bilirubin so the body can get rid of it more easily.

He seemed to be doing okay with the treatment today. He loves to be swaddled so it was a little upsetting to him a few times today to not be bundled up. At first they had him under the normal bili lights which could take up to 4 days. By this afternoon he was able to go under stronger bili lights, so hopefully that treatment timeline will be shorter.

He had breast milk today at all of his feedings. He ate from a bottle twice with great success. We tried breast feeding, but he wasn't ready for that yet. The remaining feedings were done through the tube. The tube has been moved from his mouth to his nose down to his stomach. He kept pulling it out of his mouth, so they moved it to his nose so he wouldn't be so bothered by it.

At the end of the day we met with the neonatologist briefly. He mentioned Parker is a candidate for moving to the Infant Special Care Unit (ISCU). This is a huge step! He said hopefully Parker will be able to move there tomorrow, which means we will be going home that much sooner.

It was another great day for Parker...we are so proud of our little son!!