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08-02-2010 at 6:17 PM
SMW91183
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Question about Apnea and Brady Spells

My  DS was born at 32w4d on July 11. He is doing really good in the NICU, breathing on his own, feeding well, and gaining weight appropriatly. The only thing that is keeping him there at this point are his apnea/brady spells. He only has apnea spells occasionally but he is still having brady spells once or twice per day. NICU requires him to go five days without any spells before they will discharge him. With him having 1-2/day it seems like there is no end in sight and I feel like we will be visiting him there until he is a teenager! Does anybody have any experience with this? If so, when do these spells let up? TIA
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08-02-2010 at 6:43 PM
mek10976
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My DS was also born at 32wks and kept longer due to bradies.  I think he ended up staying an extra 4 days due to his bradies.  We were told we would take him home on a Thursday, but they scratched that at the last minute.  They diagnosed him with reflux, put him on a couple meds, and then sent him home on Sunday.  It does feel like you will never get to take them home, but in the NICU, the discharge is usually short notice anyways.
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08-02-2010 at 7:39 PM
tarapaige1
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This is what held DS back also. It seemed like such an unattainable goal! We got to day three and he had a really bad episode, heart rate all the way down into the 30s and they had to stimulate him. So the countdown started over. I remember the fourth night and I was such a mess. I was so worried he would have obe overnight and we'd start over again. DH kept reassuring me that if he has an event then he's just not ready to come home. If they can go five days without the statistics are very good that they won't have anymore, something like 95% or more preemies won't have another if they go five days. It's soooo hard and seems impossible, but you will get there and you'll feel so much more comfortable taking your LO home if you're not as worried about the bradies.
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08-02-2010 at 9:05 PM
FisMom
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I felt the same way. At one point I thought DD was never coming home and that I'd be going to her college graduation and wedding in the NICU. The nurses told me that they hadn't yet sent a baby to kindergarten from the NICU and that it just takes time.

Then one day I was told to bring in my carseat and watch a CPR video. She came home the next day. It was that sudden.

It seems difficult now, but you really don't want to bring LO home until he's ready. Everything will resolve itself and the NICU will seem like a long and bad dream. And the only A's and B's you will worry about will be on DS's report card.



 
08-02-2010 at 10:18 PM
albertabri...
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My son was 32w3d and his primary issue keeping him in the NICU was also apnea and brady spell's. It felt like they would never stop. He was put on caffeine (and came home on it) and continued to have them for weeks. Around 36 weeks he had his last spell and was able to come home at 37w4d. They will go away, it just takes time a patience. We all know how incredibly frustrating it can be, hang in there.
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08-02-2010 at 10:55 PM
pcefern1
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Thanks for asking this!  I'm in a similar situation.  I can say most of my DS's de-sats are after he eats and they are thinking it's reflux related.  They also tell me he should out grow them soon.  We'll see!
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08-03-2010 at 9:25 AM
LeaLea
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Bradys and dsats kept my boys in the NICU for a while. It was so frustrating and seemed like we would never be able to take them home. They were finally released on apnea monitors  - talk to your dr about monitors and see if that is an option for you.

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08-03-2010 at 11:47 AM
kar5162
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DS was born at 34 weeks and was in the NICU/ISCU for 34 days, with the bradys holding him there at the end.  Our hospital didn't send them home on caffeine or apnea monitors on the belief that if they needed that level of assistance or there was that much concern, they were better off being in the hospital where they had strong medical support.  
 
08-03-2010 at 3:41 PM
jjilly7
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i just finally ended my life w/ apnea/brady spells; so yes, there is an end in sight!

 

My son was born at 30 weeks, his main problem the whole time were the A&B's. As soon as he outgrew having them for no reason, he started to have B's during his feeds, and when he tried to burp. He wasn't allowed to go home until that stopped. The day he was supposed to be released, he dropped down to 40, and had to be stimulated...I told the nurses that he never had a problem w/ me, so i stayed w/ him for 24 hours to prove that he could eat w/ me w/o dropping his heart. I knew his signs, and watched for them. Finally after 3 additional days, and 8 long weeks in the NICU he came home...and thankfully hasn't had ANY episodes while at home. It is true that they grow out of it...and that boys take longer.

 
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08-06-2010 at 1:01 PM
adelepickl...
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My DS was born at 32 weeks too. He stopped have apnea and bradys around day 12 in the NICU. He was in for 21 days.
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