Our Great Christmas Pumpkin

Clara's weight at discharge was 7 lbs 13 oz.

When we were discharged from the hospital on Thursday afternoon the doctor noticed that Clara's face was a little yellow. She said it was mildly jaundiced and that it should clear up in a day or so. On Friday we went in for Clara's first check-up. She weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz and the yellow coloring had spread from her face down to her knees. The doctor sent us over to the hospital for a bilirubin test. The count was higher than at discharge from the hospital. We were told to feed Clara every two hours so she would poop out all the bilirubin and get a follow-up test in Saturday.

Friday night was pretty restless. Feeding Clara every two hours entailed waking her up at the designated time, feeding her, calming her down, then getting an hour of sleep until we had to start the process all over again. Saturday morning we went back to the hospital for bilirubin test. The results came back higher than Friday. The doctor called and asked that we come in to the office they could check her out. Although she was getting yellower, her weight had started to go back up; she weighed in at 7 lbs 12 oz. Pleased with the weight gain, the doctor told us to keep up the feedings every two hours and go get another heel prick/blood test Sunday morning.

You can see where this is going. Saturday night was not very restful for Kristin as we continued the every-two-hours feeding. When we feed Clara every two hours she isn't as interested in eating and takes longer to get the food down. Sunday morning, this morning, we went back over to the hospital for the blood test. Each day when we go, Clara gets a new bracelet attached to her car seat. We've made a Christmas paper chain out of them. Afterwards, while I was getting ready for church (big Christmas program during today's service and I accompanied the choir on the piano), the doctor called. The bilirubin levels were up again. The doctor explained that jaundice usually peaks on the fourth or fifth day (today Clara is five days old), that the numbers weren't so high that they had to do phototherapy, and could we please go to the hospital tomorrow morning and get another blood test?

We've come to think that Clara has a penchant for the hospital; she's been there every day since she was born. And because of the jaundice she has the cutest little orange face. We joke that she is mixing up the Peanuts holiday specials. It's the wimpy Christmas tree we should be alluding to, not the great pumpkin. I guess Clara wanted to make her own. Our little Christmas Great Pumpkin.

Please keep her in your prayers that this will clear up and that Tuesday is a hospital free day!