This page is not intended to give any one false hope or discouragement. Always ask you Doctor questions and don’t be afraid to second guess. Our experiences may not be related to your child’s condition. Every child’s health is unique.
The Ventilator
Full Ventilation is Forced air/oxygen. Forces the baby to take a breath.
CPAP is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Here the baby breaths on its own but with enriched air (O2).
When a newborn has to be put on the ventilator, the Doctors will eventually try to wean the child off the ventilator and onto the CPAP. The CPAP is a less intrusive breathing machine that supplies oxygen. This can be frustrating because the weaning process mean the baby goes off the ventilator and back on several times.
Jaundice
Also known as Hyperbilirubinemia, is a high level of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a byproduct of the natural breakdown of blood cells, and the liver usually "recycles" it back into the body. If a baby has increased cell breakdown and the liver cannot handle the extra bilirubin, it builds up, giving the skin a yellowish color. This is known as jaundice. Babies with this condition are sometimes more sleepy than usual and in severe cases may be lethargic. Although the yellow skin is a fairly good indicator, the diagnosis is made with a blood test to measure the bilirubin level.
The standard treatment includes providing adequate fluids and light therapy, in which the baby spends time under a special blue-colored light. Some cases may require a blood transfusion.
In Catherine’s case, she just needed the bili-lights. And we were never very concerned.
Feeding
This was a difficult one for us. Because it meant she could go home if she would eat well. It was very frustrating because we tried and tried and tried. At one point, one of the Doctor’s told us that she probably has a developmental issue and will need special care. A week after that, she was eating well enough to go home. Once we got her home, she started to not eat well and was not gaining weight. This was very frustrating and mentally draining. After some heavy research on the internet, I found clues that she may have acid reflux. After talking to the our Doctor he agreed to try to put her on medication for acid reflux. And wouldn’t you know it, she began eating well and started gaining weight.
Apnea
Newborns who do not take at least one breath in 20 seconds have apnea. This slowed breathing is often caused by prematurity (the brain doesn't "remember" to take a breath), although illness can also be responsible. These babies may turn blue from lack of oxygen and seem particularly sleepy. To accurately diagnose apnea, doctors monitor a baby's breathing rate in the NICU and may order a pneumogram, which involves attaching the baby to several monitors and observing him for about 8 to 12 hours.
The first line of treatment for apnea is simply stimulating
the baby to help him remember to breathe. This can mean rubbing his back or
tapping his feet. Caffeine may also be used, and babies with severe cases may
even require a ventilator.
Bradycardia
This is an abnormal slowing of the heart rate, often arising from other problems like low oxygen levels in the blood or apnea. Taking the baby's pulse and monitoring in the NICU will confirm a diagnosis of bradycardia.
It is treated by dealing with the underlying cause, such as
apnea. In some rare cases, a heart defect may be responsible for the slower
heart rate. Babies with a heart defect need to see a pediatric cardiologist for
the appropriate care.
This was pretty scary but we felt safe at the
NICU because the nurses were quick to respond.
But when we got home, the stress level increased dramatically. The Doctor’s made us take a Pediatric CPR
class before taking Catherine home for this condition. Also at home, we had to keep Catherine on a
Heart/Lung Monitor. The majority of the
alarms were false alarms. And when the
alarm was for real, the extremely LOUD alarm was enough to kick start Catherine’s
heart / breathing on her own. But
needless to say, when the alarm did go off, we were at Catherine’s side and
holding faster than you could say…
(too late-already
said it).