Hospital Drama!

[MommaCrystal]

So we are still in the hospital. My baby girl is 2 days home. I want to go home so bad! Discharge is tomorrow.

Long story short, she looked a little jaundice I guess so they ordered a bili test. They started talking about supplementing and photo lights. The test came back at 8.5 which is perfectly normal. No talk of supplementing stopped (I told them I had HUGE issues with that idea) and no need for lights.

They want to do another at 3am. Would you do it?

They don't seem to believe me that she nurses for probably 25 minutes or more out of every hour! My milk is starting to come in now and I need her to nurse to make that happen. Plus this jaundice thing. I'm just keeping her attached. They don't seem to believe me.

Anyway...
Advice?

TIA

[Crispie]

My advice-
1. Ask for a compromise. Can you get away with scheduling a pediatrician appt in the next 24-48 hours as a ticket out of the hospital? Even that seems silly to me, because when my son was in the NICU they had to be OVER a level of 9-10 to get the bili treatments...in the N.I.C.U....

2. If the above doesn't work...and probably what I would do first anyway is: I'd be signing AMA papers and taking my kid home. There's nothing else wrong and 8.5 is a perfectly acceptable number. Start packing up your stuff and let them know you're leaving with your son. Get him in some sunlight at home and keep on nursing!

Goodbye hospital. If they want to, they can call CPS (they usually do) who will likely laugh at the call, not even bother to follow up and all will be done. Crappy way to leave...but...it kinda sounds like they are grasping for a reason to add treatments and stay longer and bill more money...the whole cascade kinda thing. Go with your gut mama.

Just my two cents!

UM and WOW rereading your post...formula supplementing for jaundice? I'd be checking out tonight! That's not acceptable! urghhhh....

[organicpapayamama]

I could have written your post exactly. Dd was a bit jaundice as well. The first ped said it was hardly anything. The second ped said it was not nothing and ordered the bili test as well. Her level was 8. Something or so. Totally in the normal ok range but I too got the supplementation schpeal and from a lactation consultant of all people!! They were even talking about putting her under lights!!! I found that so ridiculous that I did the supplementing just To go home and avoid those unnecessary lights. They agreed but told be I had to bring her back the next day for anoher bili test. I agreed and she was totally within normal.

[khaoskat]

I was told the magic number for me to go home early, at 24 hours was 7.5. I wish I had kept the chart that they gave me with the numbers...but the levels only went up from there after 24 hours. I think that 8.5 at 48 hours was still in the low risk range....

Here is a tool you can try using...

http://bilitool.org/

[h@ppy mama]

My son was 11 when we left the hospital. When we went for his newborn check up the next day (the ped wanted to check on his jaundice), we were sent for a blood draw because he looked so jaundice. His count was up to 14. They wanted to see us and get a blood draw for 3 more days in a row. His count got up to 16.3. I fed him every 2 hours (or more often sometimes) and on the 6th day of his life it started to drop.

After this experience, seeing how quickly it can rise, I'd do the next test.