Welcome back, Terri!
Apnea is one of the most frightening symptoms for parents of premature infants. Apnea is a pause in breathing for 15-20 seconds. It is associated with the infant’s color changing to a pale or bluish tint and with the heart rate slowing for a period of time. It can be alarming for those witnessing an episode of apnea for the first time and requires reassurance and education from the staff for those frightened parents.
The major reason premature infants experience apnea
is their immature respiratory center of the brain. Preemies have bursts of big
breaths followed by periods of short or shallow breaths or breathing pauses. It
is most common in sleeping infants which is also reason for concern for new
parents.
Bradycardia or the slowing of the infant’s heart
rate is also a common symptom of prematurity and often goes along with the
episode of apnea. Other causes for the premature infant to drop their heart
rate include during or after a feeding and during a bowel movement.
Treatment for apnea may include medications such as
caffeine or aminophylline to stimulate breathing and CPAP (continuous positive
airway pressure) or oxygen by nasal cannula. Nasal cannula is the preferred way
to administer this treatment and is done with little tubes into the baby’s
nose. Mechanical ventilation may be used for very premature infants until they
can manage breathing on their own with the assistance of CPAP only.
Most infants grow out of these symptoms close to
their original due date as their brain centers mature. If premature infants
still are having apnea spells but otherwise could go home, they can go home on
an apnea monitor. Parents are trained to apply the monitor and to know how to
use it as well as what to look for in their baby if the alarms go off.
Once the premature infant matures and the apnea
resolves, it will not come back. Education and reassurance will help new
parents of the premature infant to feel confident in caring for their infant
during the last few days before discharge and when finally at home with their
new baby.
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Terri Forehand is a
pediatric/neonatal critical nurse and freelance writer. She writes both fiction
and nonfiction, is the author of The
Cancer Prayer Book released in 2011. Her picture book titled The
ABC’s of Cancer According to Lilly Isabella Lane is due out in 2012. She
writes from her rural home in Indiana which she shares with her husband of almost 30
years and an array of rescue animals.
Thank you for the interesting information. Apnea in their premature baby would be so very scary for new parents.
ReplyDeleteNancy
How terrifying for a new mommy and daddy! Caffeine - Who knew? The miracle drug for all ages.....
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Jordyn and Terri!
Terri - your Cancer Prayer Book looks like a wonderful "treatment program" in itself.
Bless you both,
Becky
Nancy-- you are right. It can be very scary but usually babies do well with the right monitoring.
ReplyDeleteBecky-- I know! I was shocked when I first floated to a NICU and saw IV caffiene. I mean-- why can't nurses have it?