Lack of oxygen means .....

[Joycey29]

Hi Everyone,
Lovely baby niece born yesterday 10 days after due date by emergency caesar.
She had oxygen levels of 40 at birth and is in NICU.
Has been fitting through the night but is now on drugs to stabilise.
What does this mean now, next week or long term?
Just looking for some insight to help support the parents at this time as doctors wont give out info at present.... I know they don't want to be wrong.
Any info welcome.....

Please help!

Okay, well it depends on how long her oxygen stats were that low for. It can cause brain damage. The reason the docs are not giving out info is most likely because they don't know yet and may not for quite a while.

They will be monitoring her to see if she does try to breathe independently and checking for signs of responsiveness etc.

But it takes time. :(

I know it's hard to say but it's so difficult when you have no frame of reference.
The placenta was not working properly and she was born with an oxygen level of 40 which they have now raised to 95 24 hours later.
Is that good? It sounds better but obviously the fitting is a concern - why do babies fit?
Sorry for so many questions but have no idea and want to understand without asking them.
Thanks for your post

It's very difficult to say, they will have to do tests. I'm very sorry, it's normally not a good thing. A low oxygen level at birth can result in a number of different problems, the brain is dependant on oxygen and, as with adults, if it doesn't get the oxygen that it needs then it's damaged. The doctors can't give any information as it's very early days and they just don't know. Any damage can only show up in time, the baby may be completely fine or may need alot of care. They will do tests such as a brain scan, reflex tests, blood tests, other neurological tests to get a better picture of what's going on. I know that this won't help, the honest answer is that there's just no way to know. Be there for your sister and hold her hand, it's an anxious wait to see what the effects will be. It's very positive that the baby is now stable and no longer fitting.

If you need any support then I'm usually around, I'm off out now though.

she might have suffered a hypoxic brain injury, or she might be fine. If she has suffered a hypoxic brain injury, it could be very minor or very serious. Sorry not to be more helpful but at this stage its impossible to know. Some brain injuries will show up on diagnostic tests - otherwise it might be a case of waiting to see how she gets on as she develops and grows and whether she shows any adverse effects.
I hope she does really well. Good luck.

Thanks for the info - at least I have some frame of reference - lots of positive thoughts this way, please!!!

If it's any help a little girl down the road was deprived of oxygen at birth. She's smaller than average now (at three) and slightly developmentally delayed but long term she will probably be fine. At the time it took two weeks to complete all the tests and before she went into the SCBU from NICU but she turned the corner when she breathed unaided.

But it is one of those 'how long is a piece of string' things - you never really know. All you can do is hope.

Thanks

My DD was deprived of oxygen because I had placental abruption at home. She appeared fine after birth but started fitting 24 hrs later. She was in NICU/SCBU for 2 weeks where she recovered but she does have co-ordination problems as a result of some brain damage. Cognitively she is fine.

I hugely empathise with what the parents must be going through. Docs are very cagey about the long term at this stage and may want to do tests before saying anything further. Often with oxygen deprivation it is a 'wait and see' approach with best and worst case scenarios.

I hope all is well with your little niece and she is out of NICU soon.

Thanks so much Minty it's great to talk to someone who has been there as you know the emotional rollercoaster that we are all on.
It is heartening to hear the differing scenarios as it really helps us understand the possibilities - as you can imagine the cognitive side is more of a worry.
You have really helped by sharing your experience - Thanks