Thursday, March 20, 2008

earrings are in!

we went to the doctor's today. besides the great report of more weight added on (400+g) and an overall appearance of a healthy baby... we also got earrings put in Livia's little ears! the nurse politely sent us - parents - outside the room. the screaming was heartbreaking but luckily only lasted few moments.

and now, we have one stylish chick - judge for yourselves:

Thursday, March 13, 2008

all's well

We're thrilled at the moment as the last news from our doctor was very good - Livia's blood test results show a great improvement, she has been now gaining weight consistently all week and the bilirubin levels have decreased significantly so the jaundice is on its way out!

Thank you for prayers and all the encouraging notes and emails.

She was one month old yesterday and we can hardly believe it! Big sister Mia is getting more and more used to the idea of Livia being around; and staying around. All's well.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

baby needs to eat more

we've had some concerns with Livia...

since our return from the hospital, she has basically not gained any weight. it's complicated - she is breastfed but due to still recovering from her jaundice, she is not very strong and thus eats very little. she can't suck very well and not getting enough milk. the doctor first suggested supplementing with formula, which we wanted to avoid. yesterday, the doctor took some blood for testing the jaundice levels. she also seemed to think Livia might be iron-deficient.

today, she called us at home very concerned, telling us that the blood test results were not too good - Livia's protein levels were too high again (jumped back up from the release date in hospital) and her blood was too thick. she asked us to pack bags and go to the hospital for admission. she thought Livia might need IV to help get her blood sorted.

it was very concerning news to us. the doctor examined her upon admission and looked over her paper work. being a not very reputable hospital, we had our fill of hostility - they informed us that they were pretty full and though they could make room for us, the doctor seemed to think our situation was not too alarming for admission. we discussed the issues and decided that our children's doctor will continue monitor Livia closely and check her levels again by the end of this week. then we were released.

the main issue now is that Livia starts eating more (we have to add some formula) so she gains weight and gets stronger so she can fight her jaundice.

please keep us all in prayer.