So when we went in to see the pedi again on Friday, James's weight was up to a strapping 8 lbs. ll.5 oz. , back up to his birth weight. The pedi was very happy with this. But the boy was still the shade of Mountain Dew -- an unnatural looking yellow.
The pedi said this was likely due to something called breast milk jaundice. She did not explain what that was, and uncharacteristically, I did not interrogate her at all. I don't know why. Maybe the lack of sleep.
She checked all James's reflexes, palpated his liver, etc., to make sure he was not suffering any ill-effects from his prolonged state of yellowness. He was fine, but the concern over that made me worry, and perhaps that is a reason why I didn't ask questions.
She said the breast milk jaundice would typically go away on its own in a number of weeks or months, but to knock it out in a few days she recommended giving the boy a formula-only diet for 48 hours. She said I should pump during this time so I would not dry up. And she scrounged up a weekend's worth of formula from around the office to send home with us so we didn't have to buy any.
A Google search seemed to reveal that breast milk jaundice happens when the baby's system processes a fatty acid in the mother's milk as first priority and the bilirubin as second priority. So the jaundice takes much longer to clear. But the condition was not considered as serious as other types of jaundice in the newborn. Dr. Jack Newman indicates in this article that there really is no need to do the formula thing. The condition will resolve itself in time. Of course I didn't read this until after the first formula feeding and after I agreed to the treatment with the pedi. And I must admit that the yellow hue of our newest family member has been a bit disconcerting, leading to a more urgent sense for David and me to see it resolved sooner rather than later.
Two years ago and change, Jack was a little jaundiced after he was born. I wonder if he had the same thing. That is what got him started on the path to a bottle preference and me on a path to exclusive pumping, I am convinced.
I was a little worried about that when introducing the formula to James on Friday afternoon. And it seemed to me that he was eating more than I was pumping, so he would be hungry and frustrated with the breast when the 48 hours was over. And he is a little annoyed having to work for his meals again and having them delivered more slowly, since we returned to the breast yesterday afternoon. But he is passionate about eating, wherever it comes from (very unlike his big brother). And so he has come back to the breast -- sans nipple shield -- seemingly without a problem. The only issue is the supply issue. Over 48 hours he got used to getting a little more than he'd been getting on the breast, and so we are doing lots of cluster feeding. And, also I have cheated a little and given him some of what I pumped over the weekend instead of forcing the supply and demand thing all at once.
I must remember to be very careful with this.
And, the formula treatment seems to have worked. James is now a healthy color. We are headed to the doc's in a little while for their final stamp of approval. And I hope we are finished for a little while with them.
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On an entirely unrelated issue, have you seen the letter posted by Overstock.com's CEO? (He'll give you a free coupon if you read it.) He is alleging wide corruption at high levels of Wall Street and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that has the potential to destroy the U.S. financial systems in much the same way that happened in 1929 when the stock market crashed triggering the Great Depression. I haven't looked at any of his supporting info yet, but just find it so interesting that he is using his commercial web site to promote what looks like a non-partisan issue, and that he is accusing many members of the mainstream press of ignoring his pleas to look into the issue, until recently. If he is right it is maybe an indication of how big corporations have emasculated the press to the point where it can no longer be relied upon as an independent voice. This is certainly where independent bloggers can have an advantage over today's mainstream press.
I'm sorry you are dealing with this jaundice issue still. I had the same dx and personally I feel like that 48 hours of bottles only really screwed us up on the nursing angle. Good for you for doing some research. I'm sure you will figure out the best way to go. I hope you don't have to worry about pumping or supply much longer!
About the Overstock thing, I know my husband will be interested. I'll pass the link along.
Posted by: Eva | August 13, 2007 at 01:55 PM
I've never heard of using formula for 48 hours to get rid of breastmilk jaundice. (Sort of a weird name IMO) They just use take home lights here and keep the baby feeding.
As for the overstock thing, very strange. I asked my husband, the former securities lawyer, and he thinks the guy is either off his rocker, or off his meds.
Posted by: Aurelia | August 14, 2007 at 12:37 AM