The Panic-stricken Mom..

It was 5:00 in the afternoon when I last breastfed my baby. I felt thankful that she was asleep in no time ~ ~ meaning it would give me at least two hours at the most to do other things and chores that I couldn't do when she's awake... I was even able to have my dinner on time, something that seems a luxury to me these days... But just as I lost track of time, I noticed that it was nearing 5 hours that she was asleep.. Supposedly, newborn babies feed every two hours, they need to be awakened so they could latch.

This got me worried. I then woke her up and fed her, but only after what seemed to be a few minutes, she was again fast asleep in my arms... Mother's instinct drove me to call her pediatrician who ordered me to go the the nearest E.R. to have her sugar checked, as it could be unusually low. It was one of my concerns that she wasn't getting enough milk from me, and it could possibly cause her sugar to go down.

I got frantic after the call... My mom sensed that I was panicking. I grabbed my bag, her diaper bag and my boppy pillow, took some blankets & my trusted jacket, and had Leih drive us to Makati Medical Center in the middle of the night. While on the road, Leih would comfort me, telling me that everything's fine and that the baby could have just slept soundly.

It was a different feeling when we got to the ER. after an hour. The doctors took her blood sample & checked her. I would feel crushed whenever I'd hear my baby's sobs after they've poked her. After a few hours, they confirmed that the baby had to be admitted due to high bilirubin count and that she needed phototherapy. Before morning broke, we had her admitted into one of the large private rooms at the 8th floor.



Leih and I were both so drained of energy from lack of sleep and food, not being able to have a decent meal on time since the baby had been fussy all night & all day long.. It was also difficult to put her on the bassinet with the lights on as she would cry relentlessly. I ended up carrying her and we both stayed under the light until she was asleep.

We stayed at Makati Medical Center for 48 hours more and upon confirmation that her bilirubin has decreased, we were discharged by the doctor. I was more than happy we were finally going home..

I don't think I would ever want to see a hospital again after that. I hope my baby gets better each day. Never did I imagine how stressful it is for a mother when her babies get sick. Now I know better...