My mom and I took Brody back to Dr. Chea today for another bilirubin check. It registered 17 on the Children's Medical Center machine (she it would probably be 16 on the GHS machine).
Dr. Chea also explained why babies have neonatal jaundice. When they are in the womb they need lots of red blood cells to pull oxygen from the placenta. Once they are born and start pulling oxygen on their own, the body starts to kill the red blood cells. These dead red blood cells are called bilirubin and they sometimes overload the liver, causing jaundice. The UV light helps the liver break down the bilirubin faster. That's why with low bilirubin levels, sunlight is enough, but with higher ones, the phototherapy is necessary.
Brody will be circumcised on Friday at 11:45 and afterwards they'll check his bilirubin levels again. We're hoping for an 11, so we can send that bili blanket back!
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