Blue light special

We brought Zoë to her first official pediatric check-up at my pediatric training program, the Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago. We feel fortunate to be associated with 2 hospitals in the city because we are familiar with their systems and house staff, and the quality of care of our hospitals are top notch. It was a wonderful experience bringing Zoë to my clinic, the Family Friend's Center, which is an outpatient pediatric clinic associated with the University of Chicago that serves all of South Chicago. I love the nurses and physicians there. Furthermore, most of my fellow residents work there once a week, so it was an opportunity to see some friends and to introduce Zoë to the University of Chicago pediatric residents "family".
At the appointment, the pediatricians noted that Zoë looked particularly jaundiced which is not uncommon among preemies. She is also at greater risk of jaundice because she is breast feeding, her parents were jaundiced as babies, and she has Asian genes coursing through her veins thanks to yours truly. We were therefore asked to get blood tests at two different days to monitor her bilirubin trends. The results indicated that her bilirubin levels were increasing; however, you really didn't need lab tests to make this conclusion because by this time, the parents started to notice that Zoë's pink skin had turned a smooth yellow-orange tone.
We were told by one of the pediatricians to bring Zoë to the hospital for admission and to receive blue light therapy (aka. bili-light treatment) to treat the jaundice. We went to the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital's emergency department where I had just finished my ER rotation 3 weeks prior. After almost 4 months of being a resident physician in the hospital, it was really strange to be on the other side of the table - the patient's family. The nice thing was that I was familiar with the nurses and physicians so we didn't feel like strangers at all. Zoë received wonderful care. In fact, many of the doctors who cared for her during this hospital admission were my friends and fellow residents. Zoë received so much love and attention; Lisa and I were very touched by everyone's investment into her.
While our room in the hospital was being prepared, Zoë was started on her blue light therapy in the ER with a "bili blanket" which is essentially a rectangular shaped interface that emits blue light but can be placed under clothing or blankets.

Upon admission to the hospital floors, she was placed in an incubator that allowed for blue light exposure to the majority of her body. In total, Zoë received almost 12 hours of treatment, and she slept through almost the entire process (good girl!). Her blood bilirubin levels were also monitored throughout the night which also showed that her bilirubin levels were decreasing. By the next morning, her cute, pink sheen had returned! She was discharged by that afternoon. Lisa and I not only were relieved but also enjoyed our stay tremendously. The house staff were excellent. We also had visits from friends in my residency program. We really felt like we were at home.
Zoë is healthy and active. We owe a lot to the nurses and physicians who cared for her. The experience has taught me that medicine is so much more, and I have so much to learn as a pediatrician.