36 weeker w/ underdeveloped lungs

[3_angels]

Hi everyone!
I gave birth on Tuesday to a "36 weeker" baby boy who is now in the NICU with a few breathing problems. I am sort of grasping at straws here trying to keep my hopes up- it has thrown me into a bit of postpardem depression that I can't hold and nurse my little guy. I hate being away from him, I can barely stand it. I was wondering if any of you had any babies with similar lung problems, or knew of any good sites or resources of information that could give me a little hope.
Here are his stats to give you a better idea of where we're at:
He was born at 36 weeks exactly, and was 6 lbs 6 oz (a "big" preemie)
This is his 4th day in the NICU
He has had one treatment of surfectant through a ventilator (about 24 hours)
He is right now on just a little bit of oxygen (25%)
His respirations/ per minute are the biggest issue, they are jumping from the 70's to the 130's most of the time
Please Help! Any information would be great!

[munkeesmama]

Ok, I'm not saying this to scare you or anything. Girls typically do a bit better than boys. Boys tend to take awhile to develop things like eating,m breathing, etc. So he may just need a few more days. I can't speak for your situation exactly but if you'd like I had a 27 weeker who has been a success. She is back in the hospital from being sick, but pretty healthy otherwise. I blogged everyday from when she was born so it might be nice to know you're not going through it alone. I also blogged my feeling. www.munkeesmama.blogspot.com If you go back to the archives from february that's where it begins. congrats on your baby!

[BCmamaof6]

I had a 36 weeker 6 years ago. She was 17 inches long & 5 lbs 7 oz @ birth but dropped down to 5 lbs before we left the hospital. She didn't have any breathing problems so I can't offer any advice there...but I wanted to give you a
Our biggest issues with our 36 weeker were trying to wake her to get her to nurse. We tried everything to wake her (& were supposed to be waking her to nurse every 3 hours) but nothing really seemed to work. She did gain weight slowly...but at 1.5 years old had caught up to where she "should be" as far as weight & size.
Your little guy will get past this...although I know when you're going through it it seems really rough.

[boscopup]

First, congratulations on your baby boy!

Second, yes, breathing problems are very very very common in preemies, and while some 36 weekers breathe fine, others need a bit of help. It's ok. Those lungs *do* keep maturing on the outside. They just need a little time. And that's what the NICU is there for - to help those babies get their systems mature. I can't tell you how long it will take, since every baby is different.

Third, it's SO HARD to be postpartum and not be able to hold your baby. You don't feel like a mother when you can't hold them. Hopefully he'll be off the vent soon, and then you should be able to hold him and start nursing him. The bond will form, and you will feel like a mother. But it's totally normal the way you feel now. I remember how I broke down crying on the way home from the hospital after I got discharged. It was awful to leave the hospital without my baby, especially since I didn't even feel like I'd given birth! It was just very very difficult. You may find yourself crying at the silliest of things... I cried when I had trouble changing a diaper. The NICU nurse said it was ok - she told me that after one of her kids was born, she cried when her DH asked for the remote!

But you will get through this. I pray that your baby boy will be off the vent soon so you can get him in your arms.

[usolyfan]

I can relate!

If you took your baby's info. and replaced in with my baby's name they would be exactly the same story, right down to the birth weight. My daughter was born at 36 weeks. She has Spina Bifida which we found out about at 20 weeks. She was scheduled to be delivered two weeks later than her actual delivery date. She was also placed on a ventilator and given serfactant. She was taken off the vent. after three days and given oxygen. Her respirations rose and fell for a couple more days and then they began to stabalize. Due to her other complications she was in the NICU for 15 days. While there she lost a pound and had difficulty breast feeding. I finally gave up the breast feeding with hopes of continuing to work on it at home. She was having a lot of difficulty sleeping and was crying a fare amount. We finally realized that she was overstimulated by all the noise around her. The NICU was huge (52 beds) and she was located in a high traffic area. We were able to get her baby earmuffs from the charge nurse and eventually got her moved to her own private room attached to the larger room where she had been. As soon as she was moved her breathing began to improve, she began to eat better, slept more soundly, and she stopped the excessive crying. Till this day I wonder how much sooner we could have gotten to go home if she was in the "penthouse suite" from the beginning. Today she is seven months old and weighs 18 pounds. She never did take to breastfeeding so I pump for her. She is fed exclusively breastmilk. Other than the issues surrounding the Spina Bifida she is a healthy (chunky) baby. She has not been sick except for a little cold and she is doing well.
Hang in there. I know NICU life is hard. We were there for every single hands on care time (except midnight). Your little one will get stronger and will thrive. If you need to "talk" you can PM me I would be happy to listen.

[mm's mom]

Sounds like my DS, who was born at 35-36 wks (discrepancy about dates with my OB), was small (4 pounds 15 ounces) and had breathing difficulty for about the first few days. His respiratory rate was about 120-130/min and eventually got down to a normal rate at around 4 days.
This is what he had:
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/lungs/ttn.html

By day 4-5 his breathing and oxygen levels were normal, they slowly weaned him off all oxygen and we spent another week and a half in the NICU learning how to feed. He had a hard time with his suck reflex and got tube feeds until he got the hang of feeding at 2 weeks.

He's totally healthy and without any complications at this point (16 months old). Sure, he's skinny, but doing great. He did have bronchiolitis once this winter, but no other wheezing, and that episode is not related to his inital breathing difficulty as a newborn.

Hang in there. It is SO hard to leave your baby at the hospital and go home. I hope your little guy's lungs strengthen and you can take him home soon!

[3_angels]

Thanks so much for the imput ladies!!
You have given me hope, which is really important these days.
Here's an update:
Henry has dropped to 5lbs 15oz
He has just started to recieve tube feedings (every three hours) and had his first poo today
He is off the oxygen and breathing completely on his own, but
his respirations are still high, jumping from "normal" up into the 150's at times
I am doing a bit better with the postpardom. I am trying to busy myself with getting ready for his homecoming, do laundry, preparing baby stuff, ect. It's still hard, but every time I see that he has improved a bit I feel like my heart lightens just a little. It's amazing how much you can love and miss someone you just met.

[lilgsmommy]

My boys were 32 weekers. They had the same issue of immature lungs and breathing problems, surfactant through the vent, but they never got oxygen, they were on room air the whole time. One thing I recomend is kangaroo care as soon as and as much as they will allow it, if the baby can handle it. Babies usually breath better and sat better overall while doing kangaroo care.

[Brinda]

It will get better, and being a 36 weeker it will do so fast! My last baby was born at 36 weeks exactly weighing in at 6lbs 11oz. He received one dose of Survanta within 24 hours and was on oxygen ventilator at 60%. It quickly weaned down to 25% and he was off the ventilator after about 6 hours and put on CPAP. He stayed on CPAP for a few days, and then weaned to a canula which very slowly each day weaned down to room air. After he was taken off, he continued to have really high respirations and everyone was confused. A nurse finally discovered there was a giant booger in his nose that she had to use tweezers to remove. Once that was out, everything was great. Go figure! He got to come home at 10 days old. Don't lose hope, it gets better. I had him tube fed as much as possible to avoid nipple confusion, but then they gave him bottles the day before coming home to make sure that he would be able to eat well. Then we went straight to nursing at home.