Last Day

Day 3 of our little one's life has the Scott & White Pediatrician Staff looking at his Jaundice, or yellowing levels. The graph at right shows the normal bell curve for yellow pigmentation levels for newborns. While in the womb, mom's liver does all the work, filtering out the pigment for the kiddo. Once born, jr's liver needs to take the reins. This is aided by digestive system functioning, ie frequent feedings and making little Caleb diapers. Our doc says levels of a around 30 on their test are indicitatve of a real risk to Caleb's health. He's currently at 11 and is pjojected to peak a approximately 16. We will have an appointment on Monday to check for this level.

So our lives (Channing's more than mine) has been partitioned into 3 hour segments from now until who knows when with the cycle of nursing, sleeping and changing. Mom's milk has yet to arrive, but the last few nursing sessions have been met with marked improvement.

A hallmark question for us has been 'So, who's your pediatrician?' asked by a well meaning doctor who wants us to follow up on this or that with their future counterpart. Well, I don't know that they've all gotten the memo, but WE WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE THIS KID FOR A MONTH. And not yet getting a pediatrician lined up is a casualty of that. Our military health care insurance, Tricare, just switched us over from regular National Guard to Mobilized National guard in preparation for the deployment to Iraq. Channing, being the wonderful and proactive wife she is, last week already adjusted to the new system by setting up an appointment with our primary care physician, to get a referral for a pediatrician, that appointment is set for Tuesday.

Our little guy is off getting checked on, and we might get to go home after a feeding cycle or two beyond it. As long as his blood sugar level remain solid with his progress nursing, we should be home around 13 or 1400 today. The current 'to purchase today' list consists of Vaseline, alcohol wipes, our video camera, lanolin cream, a diaper pail, a slip cover for our boppy pillow, & baby nail trimmer.

Lord thanks for a healthy kiddo. Please touch his little liver and help his jaundice levels stay low.