Mike's musings

Jaundice

Didn't sleep too well, and Jo played up in the morning, but Kate and Mac took her downstairs, and Moo, Miriam and I stayed up and had more sleep. Lots of it. By the time we were up, Jo had headed off to toddler group, and Kate and Mac went to do some shopping in Clare. This left the house quiet for us to try a bath with Miriam - her first. She loved it, and was completely chilled out by the experience.

Moo's breast-feeding, and having some problems with it this time - unlike last - so is needing lots of support, but when the midwife came to visit, she showed a different technique which Moo hadn't used yet this time round, and which helped enormously. That was the good news. The bad news is that Miriam's jaundice hadn't improved enough for the midwives, and they wanted her to have a test to see if she needed treatment. If we lived closer, they'd take a sample and drive it to the hospital, but we're too far away. This meant that the midwife booked us into the SCUBU (Special Care Baby Unit - the first "U" is there to make it easier to pronounce, I think!) for a test, with the possibility that Miriam and Moo might need to stay in. This really wasn't what we needed at all, and although the chances weren't high, they were certainly real - and the reasons could range from standard "breast-feeding jaundice" (minor) through an infection (possibly major) through to liver problems (possible long-term major). And nobody wants to set foot in SCUBU if they can possibly avoid it, believe me.

We left in some trepidation, and I spent some time on the phone to my sister-in-law Nina (who's a GP) and my brother, Jim (who's a paediatric registrar). Both of them were very reassuring, and at least we knew what questions to ask.

I'm pleased to say that Miriam came out well under the levels needing treatment, and we came home tired, but happy. And hugely grateful again to Kate and Mac.

Labels: illness, miriam