Pictured above from left to right are a blood lancet, gauze, a Band-Aid, and an alcohol wipe.
The first thing I do is get all the materials together:
- Blood lancet
- Gauze
- Band-Aid
- Alcohol wipe
- Blotter card
- Pen
- Envelopes
- Rice heat wrap
- Bottle if Marigold is grumpy
The first thing that I do is warm up her foot with a heat wrap that I made myself...
This wrap was really easy to make! I just bought some flannel material and cut it into a rectangle that was about 2 feet by 1 foot. Then I sewed the bottom and two sides of it together while it was inside out. After that I sewed through the middle three times to make four sections so that the rice doesn't all fall to one side if I'm using it for something besides her heel pricks. Then I sewed along the top, just leaving enough room on top of each section for a funnel to drop the rice in. I added the rice next, then sewed along the top again. There may have been an easier way to make this but sewing is not a skill of mine!
So like I said, the first thing I do is warm up her heel with a heat wrap. This is done to get the blood flowing better. Every time that I've taken her heel pricks I've only needed to fill one space on her blotter card! I think that warming up her heal well help a tremendous amount! After her heel is warm I wipe the area that I'll be pricking with the alcohol wipe and use sanitizer on my own hands.
Before I prick her heel I have my husband hold her so that her back is against his chest, and she is sitting on one arm while his other arm is on her belly/chest supporting her.
This is the closest depiction of how I have my husband hold her that I can find in a photo of mine.
If she is in an extremely grumpy mood I have him feed her with a bottle while I do the prick. It's rare for Marigold to be grumpy but it does happen! It helps her to not notice what I'm doing while she is already in a bad mood. If she is in a good mood I smile and talk to her while I do it.
Next I use the lancet on the inner or outer side of Marigold's heel. I wipe the first drop of blood with the gauze because the alcohol from the wipe is still on her heel. I let the next drop fall into one of the circles on the blotter card...
The circles are on the right-hand side of the card. The goal is to fill about 3/4 of the circle. I've been told that it is perfectly okay to not have the blood all inside the circle, that they are just a guideline, but I do my best with a wiggly baby to get the drop in the center!
Usually Marigold's blood is really flowing because I warmed up her foot, so sometimes I will fill a second one just because, but if I choose not to then I have my husband hold the gauze on her heel, adding pressure to stop the bleeding while I get the Band-Aid ready.
After I put the Band-Aid on I set the blotter card to dry for 2 hours and write the time and date that I took the sample on the card. Then I put it in a waterproof envelope, then in an express envelope from the post office.
Waterproof envelope and express post envelope.
So here is a list of steps to take Marigold's phe levels:
- Gather materials
- Warm heel
- Get her into position
- Wipe her foot with alcohol/sanitize my own hands
- Prick her heel with the lancet
- Wipe the first drop of blood with gauze
- Let the second drop fall into a circle on the blotter card (continue this step until a circle is about 3/4 full if the first drop isn't enough)
- Apply pressure to her heel
- Cover the area that I took the sample from with a Band-Aid
- Let the blotter card dry for 2 hours minimum (Not in the sun!)
- Write the time and date on the card
- Pack in envelopes I was given from her clinic and mail it out!
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