Should I do the bili count ?

[ChristSavesAll]

Ok so Seraphim is appearing jaundice and at a checkup yesterday the doc confirmed that she is. she sent me to do a bili count and I did but it was torture for Seraphim. The woman stabbed her foot then she squeezed her foot and leg harshly and over and over. It took about five minutes and Seraphim was screaming her little head off. Then the doc calls me and tells me they can't use that sample because it was exposed to air for too long... She is yellow but not too much, she nurses on and off for two hours then is out for a couple more before waking up to feed again. She has plenty of pees and seems to be trasitioning from the mec to breastmilk poops. She is very alert when she's awake usually before, between and sometimes after nursing sessions....
So it seems that she is fine just a little yellow, we are taking her out in the sun now (been recouping in the house due to anemia) so what do you think? Is she a candidate for high levels of jaundice or not? Retest or not?

[heatherRN]

If it were me...
I wouldn't put her through that torture again, at least for another day or two. Keep up the nursing and sun sessions and you will be able to tell if it is getting better or worse. I guess you have to decide if you are willing to wait until Monday since the weekend is fast approaching? You should be able to have the blood drawn on a weekend, but might not get results or be able to converse with your regular doctor. Hmm...but there is always the ER if you get concerned.
Well, that my opinion FWIW
Congrats mama!

[sapphire_chan]

Sun. Breastfeeding. Sun. Breastfeeding. Hmm, sounds like a relaxing day at a pretty park with your new baby, yes?

If things get worse/don't get better, and you feel a need to have her levels checked, hold out for someone who can do a blood draw while you nurse, and be sure to rub your dd's heel to encourage lots of circulation. (I know a blood draw would be a massive failure if someone tried pricking my heel out of nowhere.) : that it doesn't come to that though.

[paquerette]

They have to do a blood draw for that? The hospital I was in the last time, they had a forehead scanning machine. No pokes.

[MySunflowerBoys]

Our hospital also does the forehead scanner thingy for bili checks. It's so awesome- no blood draw! I asked if it was as accurate as blood draws and they said it was very close. I had E's checked twice (once at 48 hrs, again at 72.) Jaundice peeks at 72 hrs, then falls. Both of my sons were jaundice & we only treated Sean's (at home with a bili blanket.)

If she gets really sleepy and isn't nursing frequently, hasn't started making BM poops and is making fewer wet diapers, then I would consider getting her checked again. Do ask for the scanner thing and if they don't have that ask to nurse while they do the draw and warm her foot well before the prick. (You can even tuck it in a heat pad for a bit.) Hopefully all is going well and you don't need to test her again!

[123]

I'm not in your DDC, just posting because I saw this in the new posts.

My 3 kids all had jaundice. With ds1 and ds2, I took them back each time to be tested. It was only about 3 times with ds1, but I think the rules were not as strict then. At a little over a week, they said his levels were dropping. No more worries.

With ds2 it was many, many times. There was one nurse that made him scream every time and one who would barely wake him up taking blood. Of course we usually got the one who didn't know what she was doing. I felt terrible every time (plus we had to pay for a visit every time). They got very concerned about his levels and had us rent a bili blanket to take home. That confused him about days and nights, not that he had much of an idea about it in the first place. When he was 10 days old, his levels finally started to drop.

With dd, we had a homebirth and didn't take her to the doctor until she was two weeks old, for this very reason. He said she was fine, no jaundice. Three different experiences, except that each of my children got about the same amount of yellowness at about the same ages.

My sister had similar experiences with her younger two (the oldest was yellow longer, since my sister had supply issues at first). Nothing bad happened to any of them. From what I've read, breastfed jaundice is pretty normal. They just freak out because jaundice in a formula baby can be bad.

So I would vote for not re-testing if you can help it. Or at least wait until baby is 10 days-2 weeks old.

[AKA_PI]

Kendall has jaundice too and after his one week, check up, I said i refused to take him through that again. The lab tech was way too rough. Just keep taking her in the sun and breastfeeding. I say give it two days and if she's looking better, than no need to go back.

[coyotemist]

Originally Posted by MySunflowerBoys

If she gets really sleepy and isn't nursing frequently, hasn't started making BM poops and is making fewer wet diapers, then I would consider getting her checked again.

Yep, that. If the baby doesn't have any sleepy symptoms, I don't do the test.

I've never heard of the forehead scanner thing!!! So glad something like that exists, if I need that info for this new baby I'll know about it!

[~Megan~]

I wouldn't. I have a few issues with jaundice. First of all its normal. Its not dangerous as low levels and in fact may be helpful (do a search for the jaundice article in the birth professionals forum).

And if you hospital is like mine they keep lowering and lowering the standards for what is considered safe and what is not. They are not doing this based on any evidence whatsoever.

I'd not want to risk my child being taken from me and put into seclusion for light therapy and given formula. I think the dangers of formula are much higher than being a little jaundice.