Any had a baby that was on an Apnea monitor?

My dd is 3wks and was in the NICU for a week. She is now home with us for 2 wks and is on a Apnea Machine...

It is VERY sensitive!

She stops breathing at times...esp during feeding and trying to catch her breath from choking on the breastmilk(which is thickened)...I know the signs without have the monitor beep for me.
The other night the heart alarm went up for a low heart rate...BUT i don't believe it b/c she was excited and about to eat...so you think the rate would be up....

Just wondering your thoughts is you had experience with this as well....

[jjerzeegirl]

meant to say has anyone...sorry....

[petal76]

My little sister had an apnoea episode at 3 weeks old and was put on a monitor up until she was a year old. I used to look after her a lot and take her to bed with me because my mum would panic when the alarm went off, I was a trained first aider but only 17, quite a responsibility for someone that young but I thought nothing of it at the time! She is 13 now and very happy and healthy!!

Hayley xx

[maddysmommy]

They are super sensitive.  My experience is that they are really only working when they are at rest of completly still.  Are you using the probes on the chest or the velcro around her?  Thankfully we only use a pulsox monitor now..which only monitors his Oxygen.  Just look at her for the signs..make sure she's pink.  If you see any blue or dusky look then you know something wrong.  You know more about a baby's condition by looking at them.  technology is not as reliable as a mother's intution.

[jjerzeegirl]

we tried both and found that the velcro worked best...
i do know her signs and know how to help her if and when needed.
i agree....tech can drive you crazy...
we go on the 14th to see if she has to stay on it longer...

[Cheyenne_08]

Ashtyn was 9 weeks early and in the NICU for 6 1/2 weeks. He came home on an apnea monitor and remained on one for 3 months. His worked great!!! We used the chest patches and never had a problem with it alarming when nothing was wrong, and we were constantly in the car and moving him around, so he didn't have to be laying still for it to work right!!! We learned CPR too and knew what to do when we needed to, but I felt a lot better having him on the moniter because I knew that if it went off, then there really was something going on with him. Hope you have better luck!

[KellyTexas]

Brodie is back in PICU due to his apnea while eating - be so very careful!!  It has been scary as heck for us.  Hopefully he'll get to come home this weekend.  

It sounds like we'll be getting an apnea monitor as well, but maybe not as he was diagnosed with RSV and would only do it while eating.  Hopefully once the RSV is gone, so will the apnea.  

I'll keep you posted - good luck!!  Keep me posted as well.  Sounds like our little kids have a lot in common.

[jjerzeegirl]

Yeah...Allison has the same thing while she eats...that's why she is on one as well. He is back in the NICU b/c of it?
Allie norm does it after the bottle is out of her mouth..if she takes in too much, she begins to gag and turns blue...it is VERY scary. My 19mth old is learning the word 'breathe' and repeats it after I say it to Allison.
Let me know...
She is going to the ENT tomorrow to see if her vocal cord is any stronger...which I certainly think it is b.c she has a strong cry...

[ginny74]

all 3 of my children were on the apnea monitor for the first 7 months.  The belt seems to work the best, but as they get older and shift around the leads do shift and create a false alarm.  I don't know how long your baby has to be on it, but watch the wires as she gets older.  My DD wrapped it around her neck 2 different times and that was it, i took her off it and called my ped.