WDYT- Oxygen

beachykeen1723

Cooper is on .1 100% oxygen. The pulminologist gave us the go ahead to try him off of it whenever we would like, and to put him back on if he seems like he was working to hard to breathe.  The last time they took him off of it in the NICU was one month ago, and he lasted for 11 hours before his heart rate started to go up too much.  I have been leaving him off it in the day, and then putting him back on for feeds and overnight.

In the past 3 days, he has been getting really fed up with the oxygen- he manages to get it off even when he is totally swaddled, and one morning I even found it around his neck. Last night he started screaming when it was on, and as soon as we took it off he was fine.  He doesn't seem to be working too hard to breathe, even when he is eating. 

My question is- would you go ahead and let your baby be off of it- even overnight? He is on an apnea monitor, which is why I feel even remotley comfortable letting him sleep without the O2.

 

mcdev

Boy do I remember those days!!  I woke up many nights/mornings with her cannula around her neck.  So scary!!  It really does sound like Cooper might be ready to do an overnight without oxygen.  Do you have a pulse ox at home?  If not, I would ask your pulmonologist if you could get one so that you would know for sure how he is doing.

OneLady

This sounds a lot like my son. That child never left the cannula alone! He was on 0.1 litters too and that is such a minute amount of o2. It's literally a whiff. I agree with the pp about having the pulse ox. When Ev got the go ahead to ditch the cannula I still kept him on the pulse ox at night and it was a great comfort.

Rachel&Joe

I think you definitely need an oximeter to make sure his sats are OK.  that is how we knew when stella was ready to be weaned from her O2 (she came home on 1/4 liter in August, switched to 1/8 in October, 1/16 in November, & then 1/32 & then off soon after in December (just a couple of weeks ago in fact). 

beachykeen1723

We don't have an oximeter, but he is on an apnea monitor.  His sats were fine the last time they took him off of it in the NICU, he stayed between 95-100. His heart rate just went up during a late night feed, and so they put him back on it.  I will call the pulminologist on Monday- stupid long weekend!

AFwife1106

Our LO came home on 0.1L at 100% from the NICU.  She had been off the O2 for three days when they put it back on.. She was in the high 80s, low 90s but her heart rate was high, like your LO and that's why they put it back on.  A week after she was discharged, her stats were at 92% right after taking the O2 off and then 88% after 15 minutes.  Three weeks after that (so a month after discharge) she was at 100% right after taking it off and 99% after 15 minutes.  At that appointment our pulmonologist told us that we could start weaning her off.. and that it needed to be on if she was going to be sleeping for an extended period, like 4 - 5+ hours.

We totally took it off and never used it again.  LO had an appointment the next day with Pedi, so they checked her pulse ox and it was 100%.. so we just left it alone.  She never slept for that long, so we were technically following doctors orders.  She had the sleep study a week or two after that and her stats were great.. 

Having seen LO's numbers in the NICU we really didn't think she needed the O2.  Even her pulmonologist admitted that it was more of a just in case thing than something that she really needed.. that was at the appointment when she was at 88%.  

If you have a monitor, I would totally take it off and see how LO does.  Some would probably call us crazy for taking it off, but at the time it seemed like the right decision and now that the tank is gone, we know it was.. but everyone's situation is different.  There's no downside to being too cautious about it, but we (including LO) were sick of dealing with it.. GL with your decision.  

southphilly

I think this makes sense-just make sure the parameters are appropriately set so that you know right when his heart rate starts to increase.  GL!  and you guys are totally freaking my out about the canula wrapping around the neck...

beachykeen1723

southphilly:

I think this makes sense-just make sure the parameters are appropriately set so that you know right when his heart rate starts to increase.  GL!  and you guys are totally freaking my out about the canula wrapping around the neck...

It wasn't wrapped, just pulled down. The only reason he is on the apnea monitor is because of the cannula- he doesn't have a's and b's any more, but it will go off if he stops breathing for any reason, i.e. the cannula around his neck. This is a risk if any baby is on oxygen, since there is a cord in his crib. Definatley scary, but we know it is a risk.  I went ahead and re-taped the cannula, so that it is on him all the time. I'm going to call the pulminologist on Monday to ask about an oximeter so we can leave him off the O2 without worrying.