Babies on oxygen?
I am not originally from around here and know no one with babies here, so I've never heard of this problem. My son was born on 5/23 and immediately had low oxygen saturation. They took him to the transitional NICU and put him on an oxygen hood but he continued to have low O2 sats without the help. They admitted him. He did 3 room air challenges and did "just ok" on them, trailing off during sleep into the 80's. He was sent home on supplemental oxygen and has been checked every few days. He doesn't get over 89% without the help. The doctors all are saying he's totally 100% healthy otherwise. No heart murmurs, clear lungs, etc. Several times we've been told if we were at sea level it wouldn't be an issue. They just keep saying it will take time.
My son is 2 weeks old today and was tested at his appointment for his PKU, and he still needs the oxygen. I am having a hard time believing this is so common here. I have never seen any baby on oxygen, maybe they just don't go out, but he's otherwise 100% healthy, supposedly.
I guess my question is for all you locals does this sound familiar? Do you generally expect or are you "not surprised" when a baby here ends up on oxygen for a few days/weeks? How common would you think it is? Thanks.
Re: Babies on oxygen?
My son was on oxygen for 7 weeks. He needed it and my daughter didn't. From what the O company and NICU neo's told me, its common for preemies to go home on O and not uncommon at all for full terms to go home on it too. I'm not from here either and it surprised me.
My daughter was born prematurely and needed oxygen while in the hospital and was also sent home on oxygen, it was a low amount of oxygen but the doctor said she need that little extra boost. We would have someone come to our home to check her oxygen level too to see if she still needed it, she was on it for several weeks, maybe a month and then she was fine. My cousin was the only one of his siblings born here in Colorado (the other 4 born in California) and he was sent home on oxygen too for the first week. Its our high altitude. Not EVERY baby needs it but it isn't a rare case here in Colorado if a baby is sent home on oxygen.
our daughter is above her class in kindergarten and has always been a bit advanced.. we tell people its the extra oxygen she got when she was a baby
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