The hospital: Part two

When we went home from the hospital on Christmas Eve night we were excited about what good timing we had to be home for the holiday. Unfortunately, our holiday was cut pretty short.

By the time we left the hospital Eva’s billirubin was high – meaning she was jaundiced. So, just like Ella, they ordered a billirubin jacket (it’s basically a flat light that gets strapped onto a baby and plugged in to help get the billirubin down). And they told us to take her in for a blood test in the morning.

Steve took her on Christmas morning and returned home for our family celebration. But a few minutes into opening gifts we got a call from the lab, saying Eva’s billirubin was really high and that she would need to be readmitted. Very dissapointing. But, oh well, we could handle another day. And at least we got to watch Ella open her gifts on Christmas morning.

The hospital stay was rough though. Immediately they put her in an incubator with high intensity lights shining on her, and put an IV in her arm and wrapped her in an even higher intensity billirubin jacket. It’s so sad to see your baby being poked and prodded and uncomfortable.

Steve offered to stay with Eva and I, and my mom offered to take Ella, but there was nowhere except a chair for Steve to sleep in and he already was hurting from the uncomfortable cot in the birthplace. So, Eva and I stayed. And it was miserable.

I fed her about every 2-3 hours. The nurse would check on her every 2 hours. They cut her heel and did bloodtests every 3 hours. So, you can imagine, there isn’t much sleep to be had. Not to mention, sometimes drawing blood would take a half hour and Eva would bawl, making it torture to watch.

The second night was even worse. Her billirubin didn’t drop enough so they told me I could only nurse her ten minutes at a time. So I would nurse her for ten minutes, then pump, then feed her the rest of the milk with a syringe in her incubator.

We were finally released though and after just a few days of followup bloodtests, her billirubin is fine, and she doesn’t have to wear a jacket at all. So, I realize now that there are way worse conditions and I am thankful it wasn’t anymore serious. I also really feel for anyone that has to spend a lot of time in a hospital. No offense to the hospital we were at — it’s just a sad place to be.

But on a happy note, it seems extra wonderful to be home and instead of feeling chaotic like I thought it would – it just seems easy to be here. I can hold Eva all I want and feed her as long as I need to and there are not cords or carts or checkups to be had!

Ella was sick the day Eva was born, so this second day was really her first time interacting with her.

Ella’s first gift to Eva: A star sticker on her foot.

Bundled up to go home.

Christmas morning: Short-lived but very sweet.

Little Eva wears her goggles in her incubator.