Jaundice

I've been aware of Jaundice for a very long time.  My sister having it when she was born was most likely my first and most personal encounter of Jaundice.  The thing is, I never truly knew what it was - apparently.  I've always thought it was the discoloration of the skin.  Jaundice puts a yellow tint on baby's skin.  The yellowing, however, is only a side effect of what is actually going on.

I'm no doctor but, here is what I've learned.  Jaundice has to do with the liver.  A mom's liver works for baby up until birth.  Biliruben has to be passed through baby's system or else Jaundice will occur.  Unfortunately, a baby's liver has to work really hard and most of the time doesn't pass all the biliruben out.  Jaundice forms and medical staff will take care of baby.

Emma had a high biliruben level which meant she had to be put on a biliblanket 24/7 until her bili levels came down to normal.  At her peak, her levels reached 22.  The day after they went down a little over a point which saved her from going into the NICU.  A day later her levels were down to 16.  We go back tomorrow to see how well she's doing.  We're praying for complete healing and that we won't be bringing the biliblanket home with us.