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February 2011 Moms
ReauxsMom
member
Devereaux birth story/ rehospitalization/ nipple confusion
ReauxsMom
member
Hey gals, sorry it took me so long to post this but I've been "going through it"
Devereaux was born on schedule as a planned c -section on Jan 31 weighing 6lbs 13oz and 19 inches long. (For those that remember me have an emotional breakdown when I heard they planned to "whist" my baby away. It didn't happen she stayed with me the entire time. 
) So she delivered via the c-section but withoutany crying so it scared me half to death but come to find out she was busy looking around the room to have any time to cry. She was alert and engaging from the time of birth. All doctors were amazed at how advance she came out. turn her head to voices, tracking, turning side to side, and grasping. She latched on to breast immediately in the recovery room and didn't seem to have any difficulties at the time with breast feeding but she wasn't having much out urine or stool. On day 3 we noticed she starting getting jaundiced and by day 4 (Thursday) her bilirubin was up to 15. They had doubts about releasing her but I already had her first appointment scheduled for the next day. Day 5 labs bilirubin 16.4. She still eating from the breast without complaint but still no out put so MD suggest giving her water from a cup or spoon. She drank like a toddler. No complaints and no difficulties from either spoon or cup. Day 6 Sat bilirubin 19.2 and she was rehospitalized at my neighborhood hospital. It actually ended up being the hospital I use to work at so they took very good care of us. By the time we got there and her labs where drawn her bilirubin was up to 19.6. Now this was getting scary. (bain damage known to occur at and above 25) We started phototherapy and she took it like a trooper as long as I nursed in between. Main concercern at this point was at day 6 she was only putting out one wet diaper and one stool. Day 7 bilirubin down to 15.4 and we continued to phototherapy and concentrated on her output and weight lose which at this point she was 5lbs 13oz. MD suggested formula thinking the higer calories would kick her system into gear. reluctanly I feed her the formula twice. Then on day 8 (Monday) weight droped to 5lbs 5 oz (skeptical reading) so in panic mode I started pumping out my breastmilk and over feeding it to her via bottle, which apparently worked. She started putting out wet and soiled diapers left and right. So between her getting rid of the bilirubin in her system and me bottle feeding her system kicked in to high gear. At this point I contacted the lactation counselor to see if we could switch her back to breast but she would latch and just sit there. No eating. We started her on a finger feeder opposed to the bottle. Day 9 weight 6 lbs 5 oz (skeptical) I nor the MD thinks she gained a pound in one day so he reweighed her before discharge and 6lbs 3 oz after two large BM. So we are discounting that earlier weight of 5lbs 5 oz.
So now we are home and struggling to get her back on the breast. I'm pumping enough but it takesher an hour to take in 2 oz. Whew. Between the pumping and the feeding I'm overwhelmed. especially because I would perfer her on the breast. So I contacted Le Leche and went to a meeting got some good advice. So I introduced a nipple shield and she latched on from 4:50pm to 7:30 am. apparently I have such a good supply she is only getting foremilk because she eats so slow and I was switching breast. So no I'm told to keep her on one breast per feed with the nipple shield. So with only one day of back on breast her stool output has decreased to only once and only passing gas but wet diapers are still abundant. So in panick mode again I pump and put it in a bottle hoping to get some poopy diapers. FYI she downs the bottle in 10 minutes, she now slleps after feedings and seems content.
The RN lactation counselor thinks when she get bigger ie 10 lbs she will be able to eat more efficiently from the breast but at the same time thinks she will have a hard time transitioning from bottle/nipple shield to breast 
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Re: Devereaux birth story/ rehospitalization/ nipple confusion
Congrats on your LO!
Your story sounds a little similar to my experience with my 2nd DS. His bili levels got to 19 but bc he was nursing okay, we had a home health nurse checking in daily to prick his heel and had bili blanket at home. (Although I do wish he would have been readmitted because the bili blanket is not even as close to as efficient as the lights at the hospital.) We also used a nipple shield in the beginning and I was able to wean him off at 2 weeks or so pp.
Good luck! I hope she will get the hang of everything very soon:)
Thanks for the advice and support. It has been challenging. Actually as a test I let her nurse for 1.5 hours and then gave her a bottle that I had pumped earlier and the only difference in the amount she normally eats was 1/3 oz. So now I really just think her nursing is inefficient so I let her nurse for 15 minutes and then give her the bottle. Atleast until I start seeing a decline in the amount she will take from the bottle after nursing.
Oh in addition she now has thrush.