They Call Me Mellow Yellow

They call me mellow yellow...(Quite rightly)

They call me mellow yellow...(Quite rightly)

They call me mellow yellow - Donovan

When Madeline was first born she had a little jaundice. Nothing major and since Abigail was a little yellow when she was first born, we weren't too concerned. Not to mention, my skin has a little yellowish tint in the first place but that just may be the office tan that I normally sport. From everything I have read/seen regarding jaundice is nothing to mess around with but can easily be overcome by making sure the baby eats enough.

In the hospital I wasn't too concerned because all the bilirubin numbers from the hospital came back well within range so we weren't concerned. After being discharged from the hospital, we made a post hospital check up at the pediatrician and noticed that the yellow in Madeline was not going away. Sure enough, the doctor noticed that she was a little yellow and ordered a blood check to make sure that her levels were still within range. Sitting in the waiting room holding my breath, the levels came back and were perfect. We made an appointment for Maddy's two week check up and the doctor expected her to not be yellow by then.

The two week check up came and I was still concerned that she was yellow. The good news was that she was already 8 lbs so she definitely was eating enough. It was a problem that we had at first with Abby and I didn't want a repeat of the doctor having to mention formula, going to the lactation consultant, etc. The bad news was that she was still a little yellow and the whites of her eyes were a little gray. The doctor wasn't too concerned but did make an appointment for a four week check up. By four weeks all yellow should dissipate.

At four weeks we went back to the doctor but I wasn't holding my breath. Madeline was still yellow and I knew that the doctor was going to be concerned. Sure enough, the doctor recommended that we get a blood test to determine if she was just taking a little while to get rid of the yellow or if she had other problems. Lovely. Just what I needed to hear. Since I have nothing better to do with my days, I headed to the hospital to get Madeline's blood drawn after leaving the pediatrician. I was very nervous and was thinking about all of the problems that Madeline could have with prolonged jaundice. The doctor eluded to liver problems, blood problems, etc. but said we don't want to worry about anything until there is something to worry about. Very good advice but easier said than done.

I really didn't think that we would hear back from the doctor until the following week so I didn't think of anything when the phone rang late Friday afternoon. Josh picked it up but didn't tell me who it was at first. As he started to continue the conversation, I stopped what I was doing and gave him a "who the heck is on the phone" look. He looked at me, said it was the doctor but all the blood work came back perfectly. Madeline just has breastfeeding jaundice and while it will take her a little longer to get rid of all the yellow, it is nothing to be concerned about. Whew.

Now we have nothing to worry about until she is a teenager, right? Right?