I don't really know if this is the place to post this question, but I could not find a good place to do it. Our triplets are 9 days old and seem to being to doing well. They were born at 28w 1d. All 3 are either very close to their birthweights or have surpassed their weights ranging from 2lbs 2oz-2lbs 9 oz). All 3 are breathing either room air or have 1 L of cpap (I think that is the way to put it) They having been increasing their feedings every day or two, and all are up to about 7 CC. So far, the head scans have looked ok as well. All 3 have had Kangaroo care a few times also. I kind of feel like for 28 weekers, things are going well. I don't like to get too comfortable, because throughout this entire journey it seems like the minute that happens, things start to go in the opposite direction.

My question is, bradycardia is a normal thing in premature birth, I realize this. But how often should it be happening? Is there something that should signal that it is too much? One of our boys was on room air the first day of his life, but since had 17 brady's in a 24 hour period. He seems to be fine now, but I just feel like "is there an infection?" "is something majorly wrong?" The nurses keep reassuring me that everything is going well for us. I just feel the need for some direction or reassurance. If you don't have an answer or experience to relate on this matter, maybe you know a good site to refer me to.

We are truly blessed with our BBG triplets, and are so happy. I am trying not to stress but my wife and I still get scared every time an alarm goes off...and we have been there for 9 days. Thanks for anything you can give me! God Bless

Mine are 9 years old and 32 weekers, so bare with me, but I remember the brady's all to well in the NICU and once home on Apnea Monitors. We had the monitors at home for 6 months. Some of mine came home on caffeine because of the brady's. Are any of yours on caffeine yet?

I can tell you at 28 weeks to be on room air or just cpap is amazing. My son Matthew was on and off cpap for a week or so then nothing, my son Ryan who was the smallest was on nothing, and my daughter was on cpap for a few days.

Ryan did end up with an infection in the NICU, but there were signs of it besides just the brady's.

Never be afraid to ask the nurses or doctors your questions and if you do not get enough of an answer then ask someone else on the next shift. They are your babies and you have a right to ask anything you want, sometimes the NICu nurses made us feel like we were not the parents, that they were, please do not let them do that to you.


Chrissy

yes they are on caffeine...all 3 were taken off cpap today and are on a nasal canula (i think is what it is called). Ryan and Norah are doing ok on it, but Lucas might be back on cpap if he has more spells at this point. Thank you for you comments, i feel reassured...the nurses do a great job, i just felt like i needed some reassurance from a few ppl that have been through it. as you know..crazy roller coaster! thanks again

Minew were 30 weeks and had their fair share. Two of mine ended up having a lot in 24 hour period and did have an infection. Eventually they grow out of them. Mine did come home on monitors andwore them for 7 months. They continie to have apnea and bradys due to reflux.

Hang in there. There are many ups and downs, but yours sound like they are doing amazing.

Lisa T
bbg 30 weeks

Our girls were 28wk 5 days, and none took extra O2 and were on cpaps for about 24 hours then low flow canulas then off, all by about day 3. I'm assuming you got the steroid shots then?

Your NICU ride so far sounds a lot like ours. We had a very smooth NICU stay even through the bradys. You will continue to be scared by those monitors, trust me. I heard those monitors in my sleep every night until they came home (about 50 something days for us). And even a night or two after.

Our girls would have bad days and good days from a brady count point of view, but it always got progressively better. Try not to compare today's brady count to yesterday's but more like today's to 3 or 4 days ago, it's a slow process.

Right now I know if feels like it will never end, but it will.

They'll spot an infection well before you do, and they are crazy meticulous about temperature taking etc, so I would do my best to not think about that.

Like another posted, you are their parents and their greatest advocates for their health, so don't be afraid to speak up. At the same time, those nurses and doctors are the most amazing people I have ever met. The heartache they must regularly witness and endure themselves must be overwhelming. Given how much sadness they see, it's a pretty safe bet that they want to do everything they can to prevent seeing more. Trust them.

Hang in there, it will get better.

Ryan

Ryan & Megan
GGG Born 8/9/10 28 weeks 5 days
Lily Ann 2lbs 12oz. 54 days in NICU
Emma Grace 2lbs 6oz. 55 days in NICU
Abigail Rose 2lbs 7oz. 55 days in NICU
http://thesmithfamilytriplets.blogspot.com/

yes, she had the steroid shot and then the rescue dose 3 days before they were born. thanks for the info to all posts

I forgot to mention all three of mine had reflux and have been on various reflux medicines. Even today at age 9 I have one on Zantac and one on Prilosec.

Chrissy

Your kiddos are only 2 days older than ours were gestationally (we were 27.6) and YES the bradys sound familiar. I think it's not only the frequency, but when they occur and how well they recover.

After feedings they'll have more - the NICU nurses used to joke that they were tired and full so they'd get "lazy" - and if they'd been overstimulated with being held or doing cares. It's my understanding that it's an immaturity in the brain that fixes itself in almost all babies with age.

The bradys can probably be reduced by increasing the CPAP flow but they don't typically do that unless it's a last resort or it seems like the baby is stressed.

Good luck to all of you! It'll go fast

Loren
GGG Jan.2005 @ 28wks

Sweetened Taters - http://sweetenedtaters.blogspot.com

I am not sure on the number of brady's to be to much but one of my girls was having them alot and the NICU put her on caffine for a while. It really did help, it did not stop all of the brady's but reduced them by alot. She continued to have brady's until she was 9 months old.

They sound like they are doing very well for 28 weekers. Since no one else has mentioned it (although you've probably already heard) girls generally do better than boys. This was the case for us. I have B/G/G born at 32w. No one spent a long time in the NICU really (23 days was our longest) and we were fortunate to have a relatively smooth ride. DS did come home on caffeine and an apnea monitor (bradys and apnea typically go together). We were off the caffeine in 3w and the monitor a week later. It will get better.

Hi, my 28 weekers had their fair share of bradycardias in the beginning. Its so stressful I know in the first weeks and very scary. It will get better.

mum of ggg triplets 1 fraternal/2 id honor,eden,liberty 15.12.01 28wks, imogen 21, tynam 19, and macy 16

bradys happen usually when they forget to breath...in my babies cases it was usually a desat that made them brady...mine still had minir bradys and desats until about 4 days before they left the nicu mine too were exactly 28 weeks. They will happen less and less as their lungs and brain mature more. So glad they are doing so well with little oxygen I was a little freaked out when they sent mine home without monitors...if i rememeber correctly they had to be brady and desat free for 24 or 48 hours to go home after they were taking full feeds on their own. Mine were born July 18 spent 67 days in the NICU and 2 of by boys came home together... they came home a few weeks before their due date. A really good book that I enjoy that tells you all about the ups and downs of the NICU is http://www.preemieprimer.com/preemie-products/