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Apnea monitor ?s

MarriedJackieMarriedJackie
in Preemies
DS is 7 weeks, was born full term and had no previous issues.  He had been spitting up like crazy since birth and on recently began this weird gasping/gagging thing.  I made an appt with the regular pediatrician and they sent us to the hospital for a pneumogram and other tests.  the results are that we now have the monitor (he doesn't have true apnea, just "higher periods of abnormal breathing").  I was just hoping "real moms" could pass along some tips/advice that would make living with the wires/unit/fear/stress a little easier?  TIA
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Re: Apnea monitor ?s

  • *KatieH**KatieH*

    Hi! ?We had the monitor for about 2 months. I have to honestly tell you for those 2 months I slept great because it was reassurance, to me and my husband, that Brendan was ok....and if anything was wrong we would know it. ?Things to remember: no lotion as it makes the stickies not stick so well, dont stay in just because of the monitor, do a couple practice drills with the alarm going off by "accidentally" pulling the wires out so if you are in public you can react quickly. ?

    I was surprised by how many babies, including non preemies, have apnea monitors, be ready to answer questions but don't feel like you have to. ?The alarm sounding off could probably wake your whole neighborhood so don't worry it will definitely wake you up. ?

    Do you have to keep it on 24/7? We did at first but after a 1.5 months only when he was sleeping in his crib or in his carseat. ??

    Good luck! ?

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  • Mommy2GavMommy2Gav
    Practice turning the darn thing on and off. And I agree- I slept very well the 3 weeks he had the monitor.
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  • TriciaJoyTriciaJoy member

    Snap up sleepers are your friend. I would tuck each wire in the tab of his diaper, then run them down the leg and out..

    WHen you stand up to go somewhere, grab the connector portion and hold it with your baby. You'll avoid a lot of accidental disconnects (and pierced eardrums) that way.

    If you're getting false alarms or it isn't picking up right, try cleaning the little pads with a bit of alcohol. Sweat and body oil can build up on the leads and keep them from picking up quite right.

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  • mek10976mek10976
    DS only wore his for 6 weeks, and even then we only had it on him when he slept or was in the backseat of the car by himself.  I will say the first few nights we slept like crap b/c due to the anticipation of the alarm going off.  But then we were able to sleep rather soundly.  We used medical tape (the thinner paper-like kind) to help keep the sticky things on his chest.  Sometimes, DS would end up with a rash from the stickies, so you may want to move them slightly every couple days to give his skin a break.  Also, keep a log of when the alarm goes off, so you can recognize any patterns.  You may already have to do this for the pulmonologist. 
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  • jennifer griveasjennifer griveas

    We only used the apnea monitor while my son slept, but I wound up keeping it for 4 months just because I was too afraid to sleep without it.  (we never even had an alarm, other than a false alarm when the leads came off).   If you have the kind of monitor with the soft band that velcroes around baby, make sure to request extra bands -- I found that they stretched out funny and never regained their shape after washing.  The medical company guy just gave me a bunch when I asked. 

    I now have the angel care monitor for his crib -- funny the day we got the apena monitor at the NICU I hated it and couldn't wait for it to be gone, and within about two days I became so accustomed to the security it gave us that I now can't live without some kind of electronic back up! 

    Good luck, and hopefully you won't have alarms going off and you will be rid of the monitor as soon as possible!

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