Placenta abruption. Baby in NICU

[barnpot]

Baby Elliot was born 1 week ago at 37 weeks. we had an emergency c section following a placenta abruption, luckily he was in the breech postion and because I thought I was going into labour I was advised to go into labour ward to be checked over, he was found to be in distress. when he was born he needed 7 minutes of resusitating, but his heart never stopped.
when I arrived to see him he was fully awake but on a ventilator, he was so strong he even pulled out his ET tube.
However the following morning he began to fit,and needed to be sedated.
He is now off the sedation and had no further fits since but he is recieving anti convulsive drugs.
He has started opening his eyes, and pulling faces, moving his arms and legs etc.
We have been told by the drs that his fitting could have been metabolic, because his blood sugar levels were uncontrolable, his sodium levels were low and other bloods were not right. this is giving us the hope that we need.
I know no one will have the answers we so desperately want, but if anyone has gone through simelar experiences and can advise us on how to cope with the set backs and the highs and lows.
I would love to hear from anyone with positive experiences around the same situation.

[Kewcumber]

sorry I can't help but congratulaitosn on the arrival of Baby Elliot

[rascal1979]

Sorry no direct experience of this but when my DD was in hospital there was a baby who was born due to pre-eclamsia and placental abruption. He was resucitated for 15min!!!.

Spent 5 weeks in hospital some of that on oxygen etc

Met up with him and his mum earlier this week and he is doing absolutely fine - advanced if anything and perfectly healthy. Mum is too!!

Not sure if this baby fitted at all but wanted to let you know of a similar situation that has a wonderfully happy ending x

[Kewcumber]

bump for evening crowd

[MmeLindt]

Congratulations on the birth of Elliot. I have no experience of this but wanted to wish you all the best.

[Woooozle100]

Big hug to you barnpot. Congratulations on baby Elliot. What a lovely name

My dd had lots of problems after birth and was in nicu. Different story to yours. She fitted / aspirated feeds / various stuff. Can still remember how frightening and shocking it all was. She had probs with her blood sugars. She still does - obv metabolic issues but not sure what exactly. Its mostly controlled and she does not have epilepsy as such.

Only advice is to get through each day at a time. Try and push any 'long term' stuff out of yr head cos basically there's no way of knowing. But that's like any child really, no one has a crystal ball.

Just enjoy and cherish your beautiful little baby.

Erm sorry if that sounds really prescriptive and rubbish. I can completely relate with your anxieties and its not like you can flick a switch and turn them all off. Be kind to yourself. Feel free to contact me if ever you do want to talk / moan /rant / cry to internet stranger x

[lynniep]

Congratulations barnpot! Baby Elliot sounds like a proper little fighter!!
Our DS (now 18mo and a proper loony - but in a good way!) was born full term undiagnosed breech (not CS - too late for that). So not the same situation, but similar in that he required resus (don't know how long for but seemed like forever) and was ventilated (he pulled out his tube too!) He fitted the first night/day and the second night, and was also on anticonvulsants.
He was very poorly at first - his organs shut down (apart from his heart) and no-one could tell us what was going to happen, only that if we didnt lose him, he might be in SCBU for weeks and he may be brain damaged.
It was a very scary time, he was so floppy because of the drugs, and his eyes rolled around whenever he opened them and he made no sounds.
However despite being sedated, he managed to pull out his tummy tube and later his feeding tube and 8 days later we took him home.
He was monitored for the first year, i.e every 3 months, and the first few months we worried madly (but then doesnt every parent) not knowing if there was something wrong.
It soon became apparent that there wasnt a thing wrong - he's what the baby whisperer calls a 'spirited' kid - full of beans, loves attention, constantly on the go - and has been that way since about 4 months.
Whatever happened to him at birth has had no ill effect at all, other than to scare the wits out of mum and dad, but they do that most days regardless
Good luck with your new son xx

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

Barnpot, congratulations on the birth of your DS.

Bumping for the late night crew.

[KashaSarrasin]

Barnpot congratulations on the birth of Elliot. DS2 was in NICU then SCBU for 5 weeks due to prematurity so I understand a bit of what you're going through, although I have no experience of fitting. All I can say is to take each day at a time, it sounds positive that the fitting has stopped for the moment. I hope he continues to recover and you get him home soon xxx

[Jenbot]

My baby Clara was born at 32 weeks due to placental abruption, scary isn't it?! She's only 9 weeks old now but she's doing well.

Clara didn't have any fits at birth, but I did actually! I couldn't have some immunisations (whooping cough and mumps) but that might all be different nowadays. I've never had another fit in my life and I'm fine.

Good luck!

[Buda]

Congratulations on baby Elliot. Great name.

My nephew was born 4 weeks prem and although didn't need resucitating he did have a fit the day after he was born. They did a lumbar puncture and treated for meningitis. He has been fine since. Is 4 now and a real little character.

[svalbardy]

Barnpot congrats re Elliot, I think he sounds like he'll be a fighter if he ripped his tube out that young! I can't say anything about his specific case, obviously, but I was born at 27 weeks after a placental abruption, had metabolic probs and fits for the first couple of weeks - and after that never looked back - 32 years later am still fine!
I think my parents got through it by concentrating on finding signs that I was determined to live and fight - their stories about me as a baby are all about how determined and active I was (got it out of my system early, have been a lazy s*d ever since )