Jade Roper Tolbert and Tanner Tolbert are tackling the wonders and challenges of parenthood as their two-day-old daughter undergoes preventative treatment for a common post-birth ailment.
The married Bachelor in Paradise stars welcomed their first child Thursday, a full month before Jade's due date. Many babies, especially premature ones, are born with jaundice, aka too much bilirubin in their blood, which gives the skin a yellow tint and can cause complications in rare cases if untreated.
Tanner posted on his Instagram page Saturday morning a photo of his and Jade's child, whose name has not been revealed, being held under a fluorescent light while wearing protective sunglasses and a towel. Such lights are absorbed by the skin and helps rid the body of the excess bilirubin.
"'I gotta wear shades cuz my future so bright'" - @babyjanner #diffeyewear," Tanner wrote.
"They were worried about jaundice with her, her bili levels were high risk to rise because she was late term premie," Jade commented. "So the lights help break down the bilirubin."
Most light therapy treatments for jaundice are carried out in a hospital—and the couple's child is wearing a hospital bracelet in her dad's photo. But it can also be done at home. Some doctors send patients home with light therapy machines. For milder cases, many physicians prescribe a few minutes a day of natural sunlight through an open window.
Meanwhile, Jade and Tanner are enjoying their precious moments bonding with their newborn girl. Jade posted on Instagram Friday a photo of her breastfeeding their daughter in her hospital bed.
"Never thought I'd post such a vulnerable pic as this, but nothing has ever felt more right and more natural than taking care of my little girl," she wrote. "Becoming a mother hasn't felt like some huge, transformational moment for me (besides giving birth haha). Instead, it feels like she's always been here somehow, like she has always been a part of me— almost like I don't know how yesterday existed without her. It's amazing how you can love someone so much, I now get the privilege of understanding a mother's endless love."
Tanner posted a photo of the child sleeping as well as a pic of him holding and kissing his little girl.
"For all the things my hands have held... the best by far is you..." he wrote.