like cranial bruising in the case of hyperbilirubinemia,
Well, this is fascinating to me.
My babies are older (teens and under) so I'm wondering if this is a pretty recent discovery, or if it's been known all along, but I/my docs never made the correlation.
I had four children, each one larger than the previous, and each labor/delivery longer and more traumatic. So much so, that by the time #4 was baking and already measuring larger than the previous 3, we went ahead and just scheduled my first (and last!) C/S.
The first three (all vaginal deliveries) all had bilirubin issues with extended treatment involving phototherapy both in and out of the hospital, hospital stays, trying to find a sunny spot in the house in the middle of a midwestern winter, and multiple, absolutely heartbreaking, heel sticks.
My C/S? Not a bili problem at all.
I always wondered why the first three had bili issues, but #4 didn't. Your post has made a light bulb come on for me! I probably have a slightly narrow structure that resulted in the increasingly difficult/traumatic births as the children got bigger, which probably resulted in bruising and the ensuing bili problems. (Their cute little heads were humongous, BTW.) Why, after all these years, am I just now realizing this? Also, child #4 appears to be the smartest yet of the kids. Coincidence?
I realize my narrow-birth-canal-possible-hyperbili-connection rambling is slightly OT, so I apologize for that. If the mods want me to stay on topic, I could go on to tell you about my BF struggles, especially in light of trying to clear out the jaundice despite low milk supply, but I'd just be repeating what many other mommas before me have shared. (Your story and mine are, in fact, very similar.) Luckily, I realized very quickly that formula would be my friend on my new parenting journey.
It took a lot of struggle and tears, but I finally realized that a healthy, well-fed baby and a healthy, well-rested new momma (well, okay, as rested as possible!) are two of the most important things for a new family to have.
Thank you, formula makers. Truly.
And thanks, LBD, for the post!