Here is a quote from a medical info site:
The cause of normal, physiological jaundice is well understood. During life in the uterus, the red blood cells of the fetus contain a type of hemoglobin that is different than the hemoglobin that is present after birth. When an infant is born, the infant's body begins to rapidly destroy the red blood cells containing the fetal-type hemoglobin and replaces them with red blood cells containing the adult-type hemoglobin. This floods the liver with bilirubin derived from the fetal hemoglobin from the destroyed red blood cells. The liver in a newborn infant is not mature, and its ability to process and eliminate bilirubin is limited. As a result of both the influx of large amounts of bilirubin and the immaturity of the liver, bilirubin accumulates in the blood.
This is "normal" jaundice. The problem comes in when some infants, for whatever reason, can't keep up with the "cleaning" of the blood and the bilirubin levels rise too high. These are the babies that need to be treated. Typically, this "higher than normal" level of build up does not become obvious until at least the second day of life, and in my experience it's usually 3rd - 4th day.
When a baby is born jaundiced or becomes noticeably jaundiced in the first 24 hours of life, doctors become a lot more concerned. This is not "normal" jaundice. It can have some far more serious causes. It would be very rare that a baby would be treated for jaundice in the first 24 hours of life... and still released at 36 hours. So while it's not impossible that Trig became jaundiced immediately after birth, was treated, and still went home the next day, it's very unlikely.
This is why I am stating that based on Cathy Baldwin Johnson's statement it sure sounds like Trig was readmitted to the hospital at some point after the 3rd day of life. This would be a typical course for this sort of jaundice, particularly in a baby that was a bit early. I find this statement inconsistent with the schedule that we have been told Gov. Palin kept in those first few days. Don't forget, her home in Wasilla is almost an hour drive each way from her office in Anchorage. We know she was in Anchorage that Monday at her office. We know she was in Anchorage that Tuesday, at Mears Middle School for an all-important speech to the Junior National Honor Society.
And I never meant to be "snarky" about the prayer requests. However, in my experience with families who attend the sort of congregations that it is my understanding the Palins do attend, they are very upfront in requesting prayers for hospitalized/ill members.
If Trig Palin was readmitted to the hospital on the 3rd - 4th day of his life, I find it very very surprising that no one knew about it.
