Newborn Jaundice

Another postnatal that I prayed hard about was no more neonatal jaundice in the baby. Although I knew that it was common especially among East Asian and even more prone in mother with blood type 0, which I am.

HE looked jaundice on the very second day of life. HX...a bit better, but tinge of yellow was observed especially when she cried on second day. On 4th day, I decided to bring her to the nearest clinic to have a blood test. Though I prefered to go Dr Koe's clinic, I dread the long que. Hence husband and I headed off to the paed clinic at Taman Pertama, Cheras, the paed that my babysitter used to bring the children to see.

There were not many patients, HX was weighed : 3kg. Very soon we were called in. Once in, the paed asked me to sit in front of him. Without informing me, he pull my knee to be in touh with his knee, so that the baby was placed between my and his thigh. I felt so uneasy but kept quiet. " so you want to check for jaundice." emotionless tone. " hm...baby does look yellowish, lets do blood test, but you had to sent to Pantai Cheras to analyse." Then he took the needle, failed, needle drop on the table, he had a hard time picking it up with his hand with oversize glove. Then, he insert in the needle, drop by drop, he collected the blood into the tube. The blood taking took so long! HX was screaming all the way. At that moment, I was so regret that I didn't bring her to Dr Koe's clinic. The last time HE was being taken blood, she was breastfed and blood was drawn in a flash.

Not sure it was due to exhaustion of screaming, HX slept right after blood sampling was drawn. After waited for around 1/2 hour, the result came : Bilirubin level was 239umol/L or 14gm/dL. We were called in again, the paed commented that the level was considered high at 4th day of life, and expected to rise further till peaked at day 7-8. Hence he wrote a letter of referral for admission. sigh, in my mind, history happen again...

While on the way to hospital, I called up the neonatologist whom I know to ask for opinion. After giving the details, he didn't think baby need to be admitted and 239 was low. However, as I am blood type 0, husband blood type B, he advised for second blood test the next day, in case baby had ABO incompatibility, furthermore, HX blood type was not done before discharged. Hence we headed home instead.

The next day, we went to Dr Koe's clinic. HX was weighed again: 3.05kg. From 11am till 1pm I waited. Before going to clinic, I had already started packing baby and my stuff, ready to be admitted to the hospital. In addition, HX looked more yellowish compared to last night. Once being attended, Rightaway, Dr Koe checked HX eye, mouth, leg, private part...(which the previous paed didn't do at all). Then she checked my breastfeeding technique and corrected the latching. She taught me again how to latch baby with cradle position and lying down position so that cracked nipple won't happen again.

As I was expecting that she would take a blood sample, Dr Koe came in again and asked if I had any query. I asked if blood test needed, she commented that HX jaundice didn't look that bad, not like her sister HE, hence blood test was not necessary and I could go home with antibiotic ointment for my nipples. I was so glad to hear that! Thank God, thank God!