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Original poster

Hand hold? Newborn respiratory distress

48 replies

Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 17:55

My baby was born Tuesday morning at 37 weeks. She wasn’t interested in feeding and kept bringing up frothy goo.
By tuesday lunch time she was in scbu because she went blue on put on cpap.
By midnight they’d transferred her to a high dependency unit in another bigger hospital to be intubated.
Now it’sWednesday evening she’s still got the tube. She’s had surfactant and antibiotics and morphine and a relaxant to stop her fighting the tube and dextrose and now they think she might need light therapy for jaundice too.
I want to express colostrum for her but am struggling. I haven’t slept much.
Has any one had experience of a baby with nrd? How did it go? How long did it take to resolve? Did you manage to get any milk for them? How the fuck do I cope? Please tell me what to do. I lost a baby 10 years ago. I can’t lose another.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 10/03/2021 17:57

I have zero experience but sending you best wishes and hugs.

Do they have a breast pump you can use?

Thanks
Sideorderofchips · 10/03/2021 18:01

Yes my youngest was in scbu for 2 weeks with it. He's a very healthy, robust 5 year old now x

Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:01

Yes they have pump- but I have no milk only colostrum it’s only been 34 hours since she was born. I didn’t think you could harvest colostrum with pump- only hand?

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Sideorderofchips · 10/03/2021 18:01

As for colostrum I basically bruised myself forcing the milk out and started with syringing it away until I could get it going enough for the pump

Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:02

@Sideorderofchips thank you for responding. What treatment did he get in scbu? Did he have tube? Was he prem? I’m so glad he’s well now. Did it impact his early months/ years at all?

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Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:03

@Sideorderofchips- yes, have marked boobs trying to squeeze out a little. I can express by hand- did with my other children when needed

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beela · 10/03/2021 18:05

Hand expressing is your best bet for colostrum, ask at the hospital they should be able to show you how to collect and store it (there was a fridge and a labelling system when my ds was in scbu, and we managed to feed him with my breastmilk down his NG tube until he was well enough to breastfeed).

I hope your baby is OK Flowers

letsleepingbabieslie · 10/03/2021 18:05

Similar problem, terrifying, three days later we were all home and fine.
Try not to panic - they take everything super seriously with babies (as they should) but it can make it feel like everything is spiralling out of control. DS2 had RD, taken to hospital for observation, they put a tube in him 'in case' he needed feeding that way, the tube irritated his throat and made him keep vomiting, they couldn't let him go home until he'd stopped vomiting... it's a vicious circle. Ultimately there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. (And he's now screaming away downstairs at his brother... No problem with the lungs on him!)

blackcat86 · 10/03/2021 18:07

I hand expressed in special care until my milk came in. Then I started pumping. They can give you syringes and feed straight to baby. That sounds like a scary experience so do look after yourself. I found some counselling and doing a good baby and first aid class helped me once we were discharged (we were taught CPR before we left but I was so tired I didn't remember any of it).

GrumpyHoonMain · 10/03/2021 18:07

Hand express with colostrum. I stupidly tried to express it after DS fed and lost 80% of it in the tubing. Are you eating properly? I know it’s hard but try and eat at least 3 square meals while you’re there - that will encourage your milk to come in faster.

RandomMess · 10/03/2021 18:07

Perfectly normal for it only to be colostrum now (been a while) they only need a tiny amount.

Keep going with the hand expressing until your milk comes in - isn't that usually day 3?

Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:08

@letsleepingbabieslie thanks for response- did he have a tube for oxygen too- or a feeding tube? That sounds good it only took three days to help your son.

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Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:10

@beela thanks- yes have fridge and pumps and so on just struggling to extract anything. Think am so stressed has affected supply maybe? Will keep trying though.

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Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:10

@RandomMess thanks- will do. Just feel so useless.

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PinkPlantCase · 10/03/2021 18:12

Totally different to your scenario but my husband had RD as a newborn (in the 90s). Born a bit early by C-section and he had lots of fluid in his lungs and had to stay in for a few weeks.

Now as an adult he’s very sporty, good at sprinting and all round a very healthy person.

HandforthParishCouncilClerk · 10/03/2021 18:13

It’s the worst experience in the world. DS had respiratory distress at 4 weeks. We spend a week on high dependency on CPAP, then he just bounced back. That was 4 years ago now and it’s never been an issue since.

Drink plenty of fluids to encourage your milk to come in.
Read your DD’s obs chart and notes so you have an understanding of what’s going on without waiting for the doctors to round.
Don’t be scared to ask questions.

Sending you very unmumsnetty hugs Flowers

Lou573 · 10/03/2021 18:13

Preemie here with rds - pretty much par for the course with how early she was but we worked our way up from cpap to high flow to a nasal cannula and then signed off to come home. All fine now!

Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:14

@blackcat86 @GrumpyHoonMain thanks- I will start pumping when it starts looking like milk. Does the day they’re born count as day 0 or day 1? Just trying to think when my
Milk might come.
Was it Respiratory distress your newborn had?

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Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:16

@PinkPlantCase that’s reassuring- thanks!

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beela · 10/03/2021 18:17

[quote Paperyfish]@beela thanks- yes have fridge and pumps and so on just struggling to extract anything. Think am so stressed has affected supply maybe? Will keep trying though.[/quote]
Could be. Make sure you have plenty of fluids and stay hydrated - it's easy to go for ages in hospital without a decent drink. Hope you are feeling OK.

Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:18

@HandforthParishCouncilClerk - I’m glad to hear it hasn’t had long lasting effects on your child. I will up the water intake ASAP

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blackcat86 · 10/03/2021 18:20

I believe the day they are born counts as day 1? My milk came in around day 3.5-4. Half a day to a day before my boobs were red hot and I thought I was getting mastitis from expressing lots but no it was just my milk coming in. My daughter had rapid breathing, low body temp and low blood sugar due to distress following birth so not quite the same. She needed a heat mat, treatment for jaundice, an NG tube and lots of tests. I'm pleased to say she is now a happy, healthy 2.5 Yr old but I remember that time like it was yesterday

Original poster
Paperyfish · 10/03/2021 18:20

@Lou573 that’s great you got through it. How long did the process take and how prem was your baby?

OP posts:
YukoandHiro · 10/03/2021 18:20

Sorry to hear this OP, hang in there - your little one is getting the best care..
My first was on scbu for a week and I had to pump my milk in. You start by hand expressing colostrum into syringes and as it turns from gold/clear sticky stuff into egg yolk yellow milk you can then start to use the pump.
It's exhausting when you also need to recover, but you need to be expressing as much as you can at least every 2 hours day and night at the moment to stimulate the suckling of a newborn who does it just for connection as well as food.
are you still on the postnatal ward? You should be able to ask for a feeding advisor to come round to help you learn how to collect colostrum and when and how to pump.
Has your partner been able to see your baby in the other hospital? If so ask them to send pics and videos of your baby to look at while you express. If not try watching videos of babies crying and breastfeeding while you're expressing.
I'm so sorry you're separated from your baby -'it's so hard and I can't imagine what you're going through after losing a baby in the past.
Big hug and hand holdxxxx

RandomMess · 10/03/2021 18:22

You need to eat, drink, rest, express.

Have you got someone dropping nice food and drinks for you?