Charlie's Platelets

This is our little Charlie-Bean on January 28, her first full day in the NICU (that's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).



(See her little baby IV?) We were heartbroken to learn that her platelet count was low, even before we had time to speculate about what that could mean. (A quick scan of my 1973 Better Homes and Gardens Family Medical Guide turned up words like clot, bone marrow, leukemia, pernicious anemia...Some pretty scary stuff -- and a good reason not to do your own medical research!)

Charlie was put on antibiotics and subjected to bloodwork. A few things were ruled out (i.e., bacterial infection), but no one really seemed to know what was causing our baby to have "low platelet count." (At least they weren't saying.)

Charlie's mom, Meagan, also had to have some blood drawn, in order to rule out any condition she may have had which could have crossed over to Charlie. Negative results. Good, I guess, but then what could it be?

On January 31, Charlie was allowed to go home with her mommy and daddy. Other than that pesky low platelet count, she seemed perfectly healthy...no reason to hold her in the NICU.

She did have to visit her pediatrician and have her little heel jabbed with a needle a couple of weeks in a row, just so they could count her platelets. There was only slight improvement between the two visits, but since things seemed to be moving in the right direction -- and since Charlie appeared to be thriving beautifully, gaining a full pound in one week -- she was given a few weeks off before she had to be tested again.

Here's our little girl on February 21...



See what I mean by "thriving?"

And now for the best news of all:

On March 1, Charlie returned to her pediatrician for one more heel jab, which revealed that her platelet count is now up to 190,000 -- absolutely normal! (Oh, and her weight is now up to 9 lbs., 7 oz. That's almost three pounds more than when she was born!)

Best guess as to what caused the alarmingly low count (see picture below)? Meagan must have had some pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure) during Charlie's birth. Apparently that adequately explains things for the medical professionals involved. Guess I'll accept it, too.



More good news:

It looks like Mommy Meagan may not have to return to work after all...I think Grammakate should be able to make enough money drawing pictures for medical books to support the whole family!