Rianne - (American) Happy
DOB: 16th Feb 2009
Time of birth: 0858hrs
Weight: 2.036grams
This little princess has a 100% resemblance to her daddy, don't you all agree? Annie Mummy had said that her hair was black at first sight, and now it has turned into brown/dark blonde; the same hair color of Papa D.
It isn't so much of a concern who she eventually take after, as long as she is a HAPPY, PRETTY & HEALTHY baby! However, baby Rianne seems to have missed the last target by a little..
Today (5 days since she was born), she is still in the hospital, lying under a Phototherapy machine with a drip going into her body from the feet. Rianne wasn't discharged when I could, due to a slightly over the level jaundice. She was undergoing phototherapy (using strong UV light exposure over the whole body) in the ward nursery, blindfolded and topless. There were bandages on her feet, which I believed they had drawn her blood there.
I received a call yesterday, and perceiving it to inform me that Rianne could go home, I was elated. But instead it was telling me that my princess has been detected with a high blood count, and has been sent to the Special Care Nursery for treatment. I asked the nurse further but she wants me to go down to the hospital personally so that the specialist could better explain to me.
The Special Care Nursery (SCN), or also known as Neonatal Unit, keeps all the premature babies and babies who need medical treatment for jaundice. The problem with Rianne is she has a higher red blood cell count, which in laymen terms mean that her blood is thicker than normal people. This condition may cause her blood to form clots which in turn affect the flow of blood to everywhere in the body. The only treatment for this would be to draw out a certain portion of her thick blood, and then infuse the rest of her blood with saline solution. According to the doctor, this is a simple and safe procedure which uses the drip and most of the babies have no implications after that.
Before we left, the doctor has actually confirmed that the number of red blood cells does not warrant for the need of the treatment. I was so relieved and glad that very soon I would be reunited with my precious. But God seems to be playing games with me, as this morning I found out that they have actually administered the saline infusion treatment onto Rianne.
I cried and cried, when I envisaged Rianne to have a drip hanging onto her tiny body, lots of needle holes and definitely pain! I can tell you without a doubt, this sight is the most daunting picture any parents would hate to see. My tears rolled down when I reached the SCN, as I see my girl in tubes with fluid flowing into her body through her baby feet! I stayed by her side, sitting next to her baby cot and stroking her hair and body as the UV lights shone through. I didn't want to leave her at all..
The doctor (not the same one who spoke with me that night) gave me a brief of what was going on with Rianne now. They decided that Rianne should undergo the saline treatment so that she will have an easier time when she's growing up. As for her jaundice, it is still not at a normal level; hence she needs to be under the machine for a couple more days.. couple more days, so the doctor had said.
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