Baby in NICU - unexplained heart rate decelerations

[Anonymous]

PP I don’t think OP is going to find your post helpful. She’s already anxious and worried. You’re clearly letting feelings from your own delivery out in your advice to her. You tell her to transfer hospitals like that’s something you can just do with a snap of the fingers. You assume doctors elsewhere would do
Something different. You’re making a ton of assumptions. If OP is concerned she should talk to the people caring for her newborn. If she has additional concerns she should call
Her pediatrician. But just discharging your kid or demanding a transfer is not a decision to be undertaken lightly and your histrionics are not going to ease a new mom’s fears but inflame them further.

[Anonymous]

OP,

I'm the PP with the 32 week preemie.

I placed his bassinet right up against my side of the bed, and listened to him every night. One night during a feeding he turned very pale, and that was probably a deceleration, but he self-corrected within a few seconds. I watched over him LIKE A HAWK for a month, day and night.

Despite this, I really want you to accept intellectually that the risk of anything untoward happening is MINUSCULE. If your rational brain can acknowledge this, you will still feel anxious, but you will be able to talk yourself into a being functional and content parent. Please don't make yourself miserable! Short episodes of deceleration happen and they don't hurt infants.

To alleviate your understandable anxiety, please talk again to the doctors. Ask about the consequence of deceleration on the body, the probability of it happening again, what should you do if happens, etc... You need to think like a doctor/nurse. You can always ask for a second opinion - doctors are never offended when patients ask this. It happens all the time.

Big hugs. Enjoy your little one. Do you know how old mine is?

15

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

I'm the PP with the 32 week preemie.

I placed his bassinet right up against my side of the bed, and listened to him every night. One night during a feeding he turned very pale, and that was probably a deceleration, but he self-corrected within a few seconds. I watched over him LIKE A HAWK for a month, day and night.

Despite this, I really want you to accept intellectually that the risk of anything untoward happening is MINUSCULE. If your rational brain can acknowledge this, you will still feel anxious, but you will be able to talk yourself into a being functional and content parent. Please don't make yourself miserable! Short episodes of deceleration happen and they don't hurt infants.

To alleviate your understandable anxiety, please talk again to the doctors. Ask about the consequence of deceleration on the body, the probability of it happening again, what should you do if happens, etc... You need to think like a doctor/nurse. You can always ask for a second opinion - doctors are never offended when patients ask this. It happens all the time.

Big hugs. Enjoy your little one. Do you know how old mine is?

15

If you have a 15 year old I do not know why you are commenting on this forum or thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s with the histrionics about telling OP to switch hospitals? For a term baby, no less, who was about to ge discharged. OP is looking for reassurances and sharing your own bad Sibley experience is completely unhelpful. So is telling her to switch hospitals. The person she needs to be speaking with is the neonatologist (note that the Sibley neonatologists also work at Georgetown, which is a level 4 NICU, so if a transfer was needed they would have done that).

OP I know it’s scary but you need to get more information from the neonatologist. Be a mama bear. Ask the questions you came on here to ask. If you don’t feel reassured or better, tell them. If you want a second opinion, ask. If you’re worried about taking him home, ask what you can do if this happens at home. Talk with the nurses and get their thoughts about his condition and what they think. Don’t hesitate to advocate for your child. I know it is scary and intimidating for your child
To be in the NICU but the doctors and nurses caring for your baby are the people best equipped to help you.

This (repeated) poster who is gas lighting everyone is a nicu doctor or sibley lover. lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s with the histrionics about telling OP to switch hospitals? For a term baby, no less, who was about to ge discharged. OP is looking for reassurances and sharing your own bad Sibley experience is completely unhelpful. So is telling her to switch hospitals. The person she needs to be speaking with is the neonatologist (note that the Sibley neonatologists also work at Georgetown, which is a level 4 NICU, so if a transfer was needed they would have done that).

OP I know it’s scary but you need to get more information from the neonatologist. Be a mama bear. Ask the questions you came on here to ask. If you don’t feel reassured or better, tell them. If you want a second opinion, ask. If you’re worried about taking him home, ask what you can do if this happens at home. Talk with the nurses and get their thoughts about his condition and what they think. Don’t hesitate to advocate for your child. I know it is scary and intimidating for your child
To be in the NICU but the doctors and nurses caring for your baby are the people best equipped to help you.

This (repeated) poster who is gas lighting everyone is a nicu doctor or sibley lover. lol.

No, I’m not. I’m recognizing that on the other side of this post is a super anxious new mom and some of you guys are just feeding into that with completely unhelpful and over the top suggestions that are not realistic and are based on your own bad experiences. You don’t know the details of her baby’s health so telling her, oh just discharge immediately and take baby to Children’s is utterly unhelpful. She has to navigate the situation where she is before she can even determine that. You have no idea if she would get better or different care anywhere else. You have no idea if a hospital would even admit the baby. It’s possible she just needs some reassurance and greater information from the doctors and nurses. It’s possible her baby will be discharged shortly. It’s possible a doctor elsewhere would do the same thing. This is a super stressful situation to navigate and you don’t realize that saying things like, do not leave your baby at Sibley are gonna freak her out and cause even more anxiety. OP needs support in being an advocate for her kid. She needs to not just sit back and trust the doctors but that also doesn’t mean she can just run away from the present hospital her child is in. Not sure how that makes me a Sibley lover, but I am someone who recognizes that poor care happens everywhere and the best antidote you have to that is to be a good advocate for your child and that means talking to doctors, nurses, asking for second opinions, etc. which can be very uncomfortable for some people. Maybe a transfer is necessary but I am doubtful based on what she has shared, since other posters are saying decelerations can be normal.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. We were just told the baby can come home this evening. We are really anxious but we are going to rely on the doctors on this decision. I simply don’t have the expertise to know what is right here. It’s difficult, baby was born small for gestational age so he is just a wee thing. I did speak to a different neonatologist yesterday and we found her to be much more comforting. She explained that these kinds of decelerations are likely far more common and it’s just babies aren’t all hooked up to monitors. My baby self corrected within seconds. They said not apnea. I don’t know if they will know what caused it - the dr yesterday explained that some tests (like a lung x-ray) would expose him to radiation and they would prefer to avoid it unless there were an indication to do so. BTW, today’s neonatologist is the one I found difficult on Friday. Oh well. Also, I looked her up - she works at Georgetown too, so if we tried to transfer him there we likely would get the same protocol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. We were just told the baby can come home this evening. We are really anxious but we are going to rely on the doctors on this decision. I simply don’t have the expertise to know what is right here. It’s difficult, baby was born small for gestational age so he is just a wee thing. I did speak to a different neonatologist yesterday and we found her to be much more comforting. She explained that these kinds of decelerations are likely far more common and it’s just babies aren’t all hooked up to monitors. My baby self corrected within seconds. They said not apnea. I don’t know if they will know what caused it - the dr yesterday explained that some tests (like a lung x-ray) would expose him to radiation and they would prefer to avoid it unless there were an indication to do so. BTW, today’s neonatologist is the one I found difficult on Friday. Oh well. Also, I looked her up - she works at Georgetown too, so if we tried to transfer him there we likely would get the same protocol.

Thanks for the update, OP! I’m so glad your baby gets to go home. Make sure you ask lots of questions at discharge to ensure you and your partner know exactly what to do and look for and that you guys both feel fully comfortable before you leave. Nurses can be great for this is the neonatologist is not helpful. When do you follow up with your pediatrician? If you have any concerns don’t hesitate to call them on Monday and talk to a nurse and see if you can talk with the pediatrician as well. If I recall you will probably be going in to see them in the next day or two but I know evenings with a newborn can be intimidating when you first get home. Wishing the best to you and your family!

[Anonymous]

So glad your baby is doing well, OP. ((hugs))

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

I'm the PP with the 32 week preemie.

I placed his bassinet right up against my side of the bed, and listened to him every night. One night during a feeding he turned very pale, and that was probably a deceleration, but he self-corrected within a few seconds. I watched over him LIKE A HAWK for a month, day and night.

Despite this, I really want you to accept intellectually that the risk of anything untoward happening is MINUSCULE. If your rational brain can acknowledge this, you will still feel anxious, but you will be able to talk yourself into a being functional and content parent. Please don't make yourself miserable! Short episodes of deceleration happen and they don't hurt infants.

To alleviate your understandable anxiety, please talk again to the doctors. Ask about the consequence of deceleration on the body, the probability of it happening again, what should you do if happens, etc... You need to think like a doctor/nurse. You can always ask for a second opinion - doctors are never offended when patients ask this. It happens all the time.

Big hugs. Enjoy your little one. Do you know how old mine is?

15

If you have a 15 year old I do not know why you are commenting on this forum or thread.

Because many people check Recent Topics and simply respond to thread titles they feel they can contribute to, regardless of forum. PP answered with her own experience. PP could also be pregnant again, who knows?

And more importantly, why are you so mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

I'm the PP with the 32 week preemie.

I placed his bassinet right up against my side of the bed, and listened to him every night. One night during a feeding he turned very pale, and that was probably a deceleration, but he self-corrected within a few seconds. I watched over him LIKE A HAWK for a month, day and night.

Despite this, I really want you to accept intellectually that the risk of anything untoward happening is MINUSCULE. If your rational brain can acknowledge this, you will still feel anxious, but you will be able to talk yourself into a being functional and content parent. Please don't make yourself miserable! Short episodes of deceleration happen and they don't hurt infants.

To alleviate your understandable anxiety, please talk again to the doctors. Ask about the consequence of deceleration on the body, the probability of it happening again, what should you do if happens, etc... You need to think like a doctor/nurse. You can always ask for a second opinion - doctors are never offended when patients ask this. It happens all the time.

Big hugs. Enjoy your little one. Do you know how old mine is?

15

If you have a 15 year old I do not know why you are commenting on this forum or thread.

NP - because surely you understand that a 15 year-old was once a baby. And PP has a relevant comment, unlike your needless post.

[Anonymous]

Thank you everyone for all the encouragement and the many thoughtful and supportive comments! We have a pediatrician appt lined up for tomorrow morning - knowing we have the appointment scheduled will help keep me sane tonight.

[Anonymous]

Wow - for everyone riling up OP and telling her to consider another hospital, you are being ridiculous. First of all, decels are beyond normal and nothing to freak out about. Second sibley special cafe is doing a great job to catch it and is Doug. What they should. Third & most important, these are the same drs as Georgetown NICU. I had 2 babies in Georgetown nicu and one 1 in sibley nicu. Guess what, same Drs. The reason my 3rd was at sibley instead of Georgetown was that after lots of consultations with the drs and nurses at Georgetown, their consensus was for regular special care nursery, sibley would be better. Less crowded, more attention, etc. One of my babies caught a horrible infection in the Georgetown nicu & I was terrified of that happening again so did a lot of pre-delivery consults. I don’t want to put their names on a public forum, but we will always be thankful to these drs and have kept in touch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

I'm the PP with the 32 week preemie.

I placed his bassinet right up against my side of the bed, and listened to him every night. One night during a feeding he turned very pale, and that was probably a deceleration, but he self-corrected within a few seconds. I watched over him LIKE A HAWK for a month, day and night.

Despite this, I really want you to accept intellectually that the risk of anything untoward happening is MINUSCULE. If your rational brain can acknowledge this, you will still feel anxious, but you will be able to talk yourself into a being functional and content parent. Please don't make yourself miserable! Short episodes of deceleration happen and they don't hurt infants.

To alleviate your understandable anxiety, please talk again to the doctors. Ask about the consequence of deceleration on the body, the probability of it happening again, what should you do if happens, etc... You need to think like a doctor/nurse. You can always ask for a second opinion - doctors are never offended when patients ask this. It happens all the time.

Big hugs. Enjoy your little one. Do you know how old mine is?

15

If you have a 15 year old I do not know why you are commenting on this forum or thread.

NP - because surely you understand that a 15 year-old was once a baby. And PP has a relevant comment, unlike your needless post.

A lot of posts on here ask for current, up-to-date information regarding hospitals, doctors, medical care, experiences, etc. I do not see now someone who had a newborn 15 years ago could provide accurate or timely information to someone's post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. We were just told the baby can come home this evening. We are really anxious but we are going to rely on the doctors on this decision. I simply don’t have the expertise to know what is right here. It’s difficult, baby was born small for gestational age so he is just a wee thing. I did speak to a different neonatologist yesterday and we found her to be much more comforting. She explained that these kinds of decelerations are likely far more common and it’s just babies aren’t all hooked up to monitors. My baby self corrected within seconds. They said not apnea. I don’t know if they will know what caused it - the dr yesterday explained that some tests (like a lung x-ray) would expose him to radiation and they would prefer to avoid it unless there were an indication to do so. BTW, today’s neonatologist is the one I found difficult on Friday. Oh well. Also, I looked her up - she works at Georgetown too, so if we tried to transfer him there we likely would get the same protocol.

FWIW, I'm an Attending at a large hospital in the Northeast and I wouldn't assume that one would receive the same treatment plan at a different hospital. Each medical system performs differently and has its own ways of doing business. Glad you are all going home, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

I'm the PP with the 32 week preemie.

I placed his bassinet right up against my side of the bed, and listened to him every night. One night during a feeding he turned very pale, and that was probably a deceleration, but he self-corrected within a few seconds. I watched over him LIKE A HAWK for a month, day and night.

Despite this, I really want you to accept intellectually that the risk of anything untoward happening is MINUSCULE. If your rational brain can acknowledge this, you will still feel anxious, but you will be able to talk yourself into a being functional and content parent. Please don't make yourself miserable! Short episodes of deceleration happen and they don't hurt infants.

To alleviate your understandable anxiety, please talk again to the doctors. Ask about the consequence of deceleration on the body, the probability of it happening again, what should you do if happens, etc... You need to think like a doctor/nurse. You can always ask for a second opinion - doctors are never offended when patients ask this. It happens all the time.

Big hugs. Enjoy your little one. Do you know how old mine is?

15

If you have a 15 year old I do not know why you are commenting on this forum or thread.

NP - because surely you understand that a 15 year-old was once a baby. And PP has a relevant comment, unlike your needless post.

A lot of posts on here ask for current, up-to-date information regarding hospitals, doctors, medical care, experiences, etc. I do not see now someone who had a newborn 15 years ago could provide accurate or timely information to someone's post.

And yet, the PP went through a similar experience. So she share. It’s not hard to imagine how that could have been helpful.