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Breathing Monitor - any recommendations?

4 replies

Turniphead1 · 14/09/2008 21:16

My niece was born at 33 weeks and is supposed to be going home any day. However she has a suspected heart murmur. My SiL doesn't want to bring her home without some kind of monitor that will let her know is she stops breathing. Can anyone recommend such a thing? I know of the Angel monitor etc but those just work on movement etc?

Many thanks

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ummadam · 15/09/2008 08:36

hi there, congratulations on your new niece! we use the baby sense II which has given us a lot of reassurance (not prem but stopped breathing twice in the hospital). We haven't had any false alarms, the pads are big enough that he can't roll off and it will go off when we put a book or toy on it (not breathing but weight) and not when we put our son on it (weight + breathing). It is a registered medical device rather than purely for home use like the angel care and we like it a lot.

Breathing monitors aren't right for everyone - I would strongly suggest that if your SIL is worried, she also speak to the doctors on the ward about availability of infant life support/first aid training which might help her feel more confident. They may also be able to reassure her regarding the heart murmur as they are very common and rarely problematic.

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Turniphead1 · 15/09/2008 09:36

Thanks Ummadum! That's so helpful. Bizarrely she is actually a consultant surgeon - but e even so she did the infant live saving course at the hospital. She said it was so long since her paeds rotation as a junior that she had forgotten it all. Just shows you that even doctors are as nervous as the rest of us with their pfb's espcially when they have health issues.

Hope your LO is now fully recovered.

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ummadam · 15/09/2008 10:43

he's fine now thank-you, a strapping 8 monther!

funnily enough my husband and I are both doctors too, both having done our junior paeds rotations in the last 2 years - but just as anxious as the next new parents when it comes down to it - we are all only human

Please give your sister in law my best

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LiegeAndLief · 16/09/2008 20:56

No advice on monitor but just wanted to say that my ds was born at 34 weeks and had a heart murmur that was detected on SCBU. He had an ECG and echo cardiogram (I think - ultrasound of his heart, took ages) and all was fine. I think a lot of heart murmurs at this age are "innocent". Hope your niece's turns out to be innocent too.

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