Jaundice

DEFINITION — Jaundice is a yellow discoloration of the skin and/or whites of the eyes (sclerae) that is often seen in newborn infants. The discoloration is caused by a yellow substance called bilirubin. Infants with high blood levels of bilirubin (or hyperbilirubinemia) develop the yellow discoloration when bilirubin is deposited into the skin.--Uptodate.com

Aislin had it at 2- or 3-days-old. I just remember the three of us being back in the hospital only a few days after we left, and walking and walking around the hospital and through the parking lot... On the first day, we were at the hospital for her first check up; the following day, when my milk came in but she was having trouble latching on, we went back to see a lactation specialist who also noticed the yellowness in her skin and called her pediatrician. We went from the lactation specialist's office to the lab for tests, the cafeteria to wait for the results, and then home. The next day we went back for another test and to see a different pediatrician (I think the regular one had the day off, or something) who told us he'd send a nurse to our apartment to deliver a bilibed. Yay for awesome insurance, otherwise we would've all had to spend the night at the hospital...and we were told that the room used for phototherapy was really small and uncomfortable.

Over the next couple of days, Aislin slept in the bilibed and fed often. Her weight jumped like crazy, which was good because she had lost more weight in her first two days than she was supposed to, and her blood tests improved :) Jaundice all gone!

Aislin in the bilibed