My baby boy is going to be coming home in a week or so. He is most likely going to be coming home on a heart monitor. I haven't had a chance to speak to the doctor yet. Can anyone with a smililar experience give me some advice on when they need to be on them. I have heard all day 24/7 from some. And others say only when they go down to sleep at night. Thank you for the advice!
2007-11-23 15:15:51 · 5 answers · asked by luvmyboy9 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I had preemie twins and both were sent home on an apnea monitor, which monitors both their heart and respiration rate. You will start off on 24/7 usage. The data will be downloaded at some regular interval (monthly for me), and will be sent to a pulmonologist for interpretation. The pulmonologist will send the report to your pediatrician. Your pediatrician MAY allow you to go down to just while napping usage depending on those reports. My daughter lost her monitor within I'd say 6 weeks of being home. My son still has his, but he only uses his while sleeping now. A piece of advice: tie the clip wires together, and place the wires inside the diaper strap when you secure the diaper, with the knot above the closure. This will keep your son from using his feet to yank on the chords and cause a loose lead (the knot will stop the leads from being pulled off). The loose lead alarms will still happen (they happen the most frequently), but that little trick took down the frequency for us.
2007-11-26 06:22:08 · answer #1 · answered by redalo2003 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi, I had a preemie and was sent home with a heart monitor and a bag of meds for him. I was told 24/7 he was to wear the heart monitor unless I was holding him. This will really be up to your doctor in what they think will be best. Just a word of advice though...don't freak out every time it goes off. Mostly it is false. Always check but it is mostly a loose lead or the timer is not set right. Good luck with your little one!!
2007-11-23 23:30:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had a preemie that came home with an heart monitor...it was used mostly when she was sleeping but they sleep alot so it was on her all the time... but it really depends on what is going on with your child.. some children have more problems when the frist come on.. and others do fine.. i'm lucky my child came home and did great... she is now 10.... and very healthly..... once you get your son home you will be able to tell when you think it is best for him to wear it.... good luck
2007-11-23 23:28:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If he is still having several apnea episodes you might want to keep him on it 24/7. My son was born at 29 weeks and we finally realized when he was having most of his episodes was after the nurse would but the breast milk, formula and MCT oil in his tube. He was tested for acid reflux and put on liquid Zantac and his feeds were reduced to just a couple of oz every 2 hours. The nurses will make sure you are fully trained how to use any equipment before you take him home.
2007-11-24 00:00:13 · answer #4 · answered by Ryan's mom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The amount of time will depend on your baby. How are they doing it in the NICU? The nurses and doctors will create a plan that works best for him. Plus, you should also get nurse visits when you get home, so they can help with any questions that come up along the way.
Good luck to you!!!
2007-11-23 23:27:55 · answer #5 · answered by Mamma of 3 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋