Bahama Mama & Other News

I said life had been busy, but it was news for another post. As it turns out, we've had a bit of a domino effect and still need good thoughts for our sweet new girl.

It started with jaundice, which landed us in the other hospital across town for a night. (We referred to Annie as Bahama Mama whenever we put her 'sungear' back on and put her back under the lights. She looked quite relaxed in there, as if she was just waiting for her margarita to appear.) Her bili count was quite high (22) and we were told initially that we would have to be in the hospital for 2 -3 days. At the last minute (and right before my friend Nikki showed up with treats and a stack of magazines for me, in anticipation of a long haul in a boring hospital room) we were told we could go home just a day after we had been admitted. Annie's bili count came down to 13 and we were sent home with a "Wallaby" light blanket to continue getting her bili count under control.

We spent Tuesday night (11/7) in the hospital, and got home late Wednesday night. In the hoopla of getting settled back at home and getting Annie wrapped up in the Wallaby, Jamie informed me that something hurt ... that she had "Spicy pee! It's SPICY!" Well, that's about the most accurate description of a UTI as any I've ever heard, so I knew immediately that Jamie would need to see her doctor on Thursday when we took Annie in for another blood test. By that Thursday morning, I realized I had a sinus infection, too. Luckily, we all have the same doctor so it wasn't too convoluted to have our sad trio seen. When it rains, it pours! Antibiotics for two of us and a stable bili for Annie and we seemed to be headed in the right direction ....

But ... it's still been a bit of a rough road with Annie. We thought she was tired from the jaundice (a side effect) so we had to work incredibly hard to get any food into her. Nursing didn't seem to be going anywhere. To make a long story as short as possible, we thought she had come out of it last week (the week of 11/13), but a weight check that Friday showed she had lost four ounces over the course of the week. Our little peanut was down to 6 lbs. 3 oz., a full pound less than what she weighed at birth.

She obviously was not nursing effectively, raising all kinds of questions as to why. This past Monday, we had blood drawn (from her arm -- much worse than the 8 heel sticks for all of her bili tests!) for genetic testing and chromosome analysis. We expect the results sometime mid to late next week. We have also made an appointment for her to be assessed by a pediatric neurologist, as ineffective sucking can be a sign of neurological problems.

In the meantime, I went up to Concord to meet with a highly recommended lactation consultant. She immediately switched us to a special bottle that helps Annie eat. The major concern is her jaw construction. I joked on my way out of the OR that Annie's second chin had swallowed her first one, but it turns out that it may be something more serious. Her lower jaw is substantially smaller than her upper jaw, something that can be a sign of genetic issues or larger syndromes. (I have mentioned the jaw thing to just about everyone who has looked at Annie. The only one who really commented was one of the pediatricians during our second hospital stay. She agreed that it could be a sign of something larger, but usually it was seen in conjunction with other symptoms or physical abnormalities, none of which Annie has.) The lactation consultant and another nurse who took a look at Annie suggested we see an ENT specialist to evaluate her jaw and suck/swallow issues. We now have that appointment arranged for Wednesday of next week.


The concern now is getting Annie to eat, gain weight, and get her strength up. The new bottle seems to be doing wonders, as she has gained six ounces by our scale in the last four days. Meanwhile, we are back to worrying about our girl and wondering what -- if anything -- is going on over and above the physical formation of her jaw. The research seems to say that a lot of children born with small lower jaws/recessed chins grow out of it all on our own. We are hoping that will be the case with Annie, but we're glad to be doing the bloodwork and extra doctor visits at this point. It's better to know what's going on sooner rather than later.

This girlie is not going to let us rest just yet ... so please keep her in your good thoughts and prayers. Scott and I are doing our best to manage her feeding schedule around the clock (Scott is awesome with her and keeps track of everything so my overtired brain doesn't have to!) while still having energy and patience for our rambunctious Jamie. (Jamie still loves being a big sister three weeks into it, but she definitely is aware that life has changed! She has learned, too, that there are times when Momma can't jump up and run after her and is taking a wee bit advantage of that.) Thanks to my mom and dad being here for a few weeks, my friends helping out, and the Thanksgiving holiday, I have had a lot of help. Next week will be a big one, though, with Scott at work all week and me on my own ... outnumbered by the little ones!