Baby lumbar puncture

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Only here for more traffic. Can people please help me in calming down. My tiny DNiece has been taken into hospital tonight with a fever and now they are doing a lumber puncture. Can't stop crying. The poor little thing and terrified abut what this means.

I would think it is standard procedure for certain symptoms in order to make sure nothing is missed. try not to worry x

It's just the thought of the tiny little thing going through that and meningitis being mentioned. I feel so useless

My daughter had this (twice) , if i recall, they extract blood from the fluid around the spine to test. They sent us from the room both times as said it wasn't pleasant to watch due to position they have to get baby into. It is essential though to diagnose/rule out certain things so they can target treatment. Your niece is in the best place.

It's ok. My dd had one at 8 weeks. She had a fever, mottled skinect. They did it to rule out meningitis as a precaution.

She had a urine infection which did need 5 days of iv antibiotics.

It's shit scary but its ok. As little ones they don't remember it.

What was worse is j have had a lumber puncture as an adult so know what happens. But I survived and knew my little one wouldn't know what was going on. I also wasn't in the room while they did it.

Wishing your dn well x

DD had a lumbar puncture at about 3 weeks old as she had a fever and it's standard practice.

The doctors told us to wait outside. It's not nice at all. They started DD on a high dose broad spectrum antibiotic just as a precaution.

She's in the best place. Hope she's better very soon.

the quicker they diagnose the quicker they can start treatment. Hope all is ok

My dd1 had one at 1 day old. It’s necessary to rule out infection.

My dd had it again the next day after the first one failed. I was beside myself and just cried.

Let the tears flow but it’s better to be safe. The tears happen because we’re afrajd for them. So just let it out. Hoping all will be fine

The poor baby. And her poor parents.
When is she scheduled to have it done?

I had to have a lumbar puncture aged 5. It was horrific and will never forget it. At least your niece will not remember it.
It's the quickest and most accurate way to diagnose/rule out many things so while it's not pleasant they are life saving
Hope your niece is okay and you get to the bottom of what's going on/get on top of treatment

My little girl had (what turned out to be viral) meningitis at a few days old and needed a lumbar puncture.

It was scary at the time but she really was in the best place. I do hope it's "just" a virus and that the hospital staff are able to bring her temperature down and reassure her parents soon.

I would have really appreciated someone offering to drop off a bag with clean clothes / toiletries / snacks / cash at ward reception (I was in no fit state to see anyone) as we werr admitted in such a rush, plus help with childcare for older DC.

Get well soon little one

She's having it right now. My dad, her Granddad is there with her now as my sister was advised not to go in there. We have a great NHS hospital that she is at, I know she in great hands it's just horrible. She is just my little best friend, only 3 months old. How long does it take to get results back?!

Dd had one as a tiny baby, plus blood tests, as she had a temperature. They then filled her with antibiotics for two days, as it took 48 hours for results to come back and, especially with babies, they have to act fast and take a precautionary approach.

So, the good thing is she's in the right place. They can treat her, watch closely and respond to any changes.

The other good thing is she won't remember it.

Dd was fine btw.

Thank you @SweetheartNeckline it sounds bizarre but I'm currently cooking lots of nice food they can freeze and lots of fresh comfy pj's for when they get back

Thank you all. So glad all your special little ones are well now

My DS was blue lighted to A&E at 3mo by the GP. Within minutes of arriving at hospital, he had a lumbar puncture and was put onto IV fluids and antibiotics. We were told by the on call paediatric consultant to ‘prepare for the worst and hope for the best.’

He’s now 7yo and, along with his older DSis, is the light of my life.

My son had it at about 6 weeks old. They told us to leave the room but I decided to stay. It wasn’t nice because they have to be bent into an awkward position but it was quite quick and they gave him to me straight afterwards and he calmed very quickly. She won’t remember it.

It’s standard procedure with certain symptoms. My son had a urine infection and was kept in hospital for a week on iv antibiotics but he was actually pretty well after a day or two.

I’m sure she’ll be fine but still a worrying time.

With one so small they will act quickly.

With my dd she had her about 6 at night and started treatment later that evening.

They don't mess around with babies.

To try and cheer you up... we had to get urine samples from my dd.... I have never stared at her girly bits wishing her to wee so much in my life...

When the nurses went to do it by catheter they got the sample and straight away my dd projectile pooed all over them and the sample... never seen baby shit go so far... didn't know whether to laugh or cry... just kept apologising to the poor staff that would need fresh uniform.. was mortified on my babies behalf

Thank you so much for the funny reassuring stories, you people are so kind! Bless your little ones! Keep the lovely stories coming!

In terms of results, the full results take approx 48 hours but the consultant reported each result to us as it came back. The initial work which identifies most common viral meningitis strains was back within hours.

My DD has one at 5 days old, it confirmed viral meningitis and she was given the appropriate care. It was the worst time of my life but she came through it and is now completely fine. I hope your DN is ok

I assisted with a lumbar puncture on a newborn today at work. The advantage of doing it for a baby is that they're easily calmed by their sucking reflex. So one of the neonatologists put a (gloved) finger in the baby's mouth during the procedure and the baby didn't even flinch. Not every baby takes it so well of course but it's much harder when the child is older and feels anxious, is all tensed up during the procedure etc. The results are usually back within a couple hours so you should have some answers soon

My son had a lumbar puncture. It was horrible to hear (and to later read on the notes 'successful 3rd attempt', oh my god it's so upsetting) but he was fine, they're just extra careful.

In our case he had a temp of 39 and the GP wasn't sure if there was a slight bulge in his head or not (I couldn't tell either, in hindsight there clearly wasn't but no-one wants to be the person that misses a meningitis symptom in a baby so everyone plays it safe). Tbh staying at home and getting a good night's sleep without obs every couple of hours would've been better but we had peace of mind. Good luck x

My daughter had one at about 8 weeks old but she was a 26 weeker so was absolutely tiny.

She'll be fine OP babies tolerate it well.

and we've also tried to get a wee sample from both of my sons when they were small babies! Takes forever and is really awkward!!

Oh, love. It is scary, I know. My DD had one when she was about 20 hours old, but she was absolutely fine. We also became nervous wrecks because of the worry about meningitis, but they also said most of the time it isn't anything to worry about - it's just they have to be so careful.