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Original poster

Two day old neice has had a lumber puncture.....what are they testing for?

49 replies

nobodysfool · 12/03/2008 19:37

My Neice was born on tuesday.
Normal pregnancy, text book labour and birth.
My SIL was told she had a small hernia on her chest but was fine.
She fed fine and seemed well.
This morning whilst still in hospital my SIL noticed her DD breathing had got laboured and she was making a grunting noise when she was breathing in and out.
She was moved onto the special care unit as her oxygen levels were low and put on a drip to feed her and oxygen my SIL wasn't allowed to see her till this afternoon.
They have done many tests and are awaiting the results.She also had an x-ray which showed shadows on her lungs/chest.
They have also done a lumber puncture.The only info i could get from the staff was that they were looking for infection.
Does anybody have any experience of this or any ideas?
We are all worried sick so any ides would be welcome.
Thanks.

OP posts:
pigsinmud · 12/03/2008 19:40

My ds2 had chest x-ray, blood test and lumbar puncture when he was 8 days old. His temperature had shot up, skin peeling off and not feeding. Eventually they discovered he had an infection - although they were very vague about it. He was in hospital for about a week. I assumed they were testing for meningitis for my ds2 - most scarey thing was that he made no sound when they performed lumbar puncture. He was too poorly.

Hope she improves soon.

nickytwotimes · 12/03/2008 19:40

Poor thing.
I'm sorry I can't offer any real suggestions. All I know is that lumbar punctures allow them to drain off some fluid and check it for blood or infections. It is used to check for some scary things but thye will be coverign all the bases as it is a little one. I really hope she gets well again.

avenanap · 12/03/2008 19:41

I was training as a peads nurse, they do this to check for bacteria in the spinal cord and menengis. Hospitals always check for the nasties first, just to rule them out. I hope she's feeling better soon.

MyMummiesAScummyMummy · 12/03/2008 19:42

Nobodys so sorry for you and little neice.
Last year my DH had a lumber puncture to test his spinal fluid for infection, i think its a procedure used quite often and i don't think it would neccesarily point to them suspecting one thing over another. Good luck sending you and your family love and healing thoughts.

trace2 · 12/03/2008 19:43

congratulations first of all, and sorry to hear about the illness!, but they could be testing for anything a lumber punture tell lots of things ! please dont go looking or trying to find out it will make you feel worse( i know i did this) it could be an infection and they know what they are doing i hope the baby gets sorted soon((hugs))

Lulumama · 12/03/2008 19:45

might be testing for group b strep/ meningitis? she is in the right place, and hopefully early diagnosis will mean treatment and a well baby very soon

Original poster
nobodysfool · 12/03/2008 19:46

Thanks for all your replies.
Sclike- Hope your ds is ok now.There is nothing i can say or do to comfort my sil.Feel so useless.

Nickytwotimes- lets hope they find a minor problem.

Avenanap- They just seem so vaugue as to what they are looking for.

OP posts:
Original poster
nobodysfool · 12/03/2008 19:47

Thanks for the virtual hugs i really need them tonight.

OP posts:
DloeufyDoo · 12/03/2008 19:49

Hi There.
I am[was] a paed nurse and Avenanap is right.Really hope all goes well.

Original poster
nobodysfool · 12/03/2008 19:53

Dloefydoo- My sil has no idea as to what they are testing for.I don't think i should tell her as i'm sure the mention of meningitus will scare her even more.Thanks for info x

OP posts:
avenanap · 12/03/2008 19:57

They literally eliminate all of the nasties first and go from there. They'll tell her if they find anything.

Original poster
nobodysfool · 12/03/2008 19:57

ok thanks x

OP posts:
MyMummiesAScummyMummy · 12/03/2008 20:00

Please keep us updated, i'll be thinking of you. And I agree with T2, don't go searching around for things or typing words into search engines! i used to do that a lot and spend a lot of time and tears fretting over what they might have.

Original poster
nobodysfool · 12/03/2008 20:03

will keep you updated to her progress.
thanks again x

OP posts:
thingamajig · 12/03/2008 20:06

Nobodysfool, best wishes to your niece, and congratulations to her family. My dd was in a very similar situation on Boxing day, had a home birth then she was admitted to NICU with grunting breathing. She had a few episodes of shaking too, and when they did a lumbar puncture it was to test for a range of infections including herpes which I couly just possibly have passed to her. They put her on wide spectrum antibiotics and antivirals anyway just in case though no infertion was ever shown.
I gather that some babies just find birth a very big shock and it takes a while for all bodily functions to sort themselves out. The paeds will do lots of tests and wont necessarily find any particular reason for the symptoms. I found it heartbreaking to see my little baby with all those tubes going in and out of her but she didnt seem bothered, and Im sure your niece will be the same.
DD is now a perfectly healthy baby, she was discharged a week after she was born. Shes now the happiest little 11 week old ever.

Original poster
nobodysfool · 12/03/2008 20:16

thanks thingamajig, it all seems so scary to my SIL it's her first baby (not that it would make it any less scary if it were her 10th!) and my SIL is very nervous about asking questions to the staff.She is having a real rough time of it as she isn't with her dd dad as they broke up when she was 4 weeks pg.Poor cow has really had a rough time of it now this.
Will mention to her the herpes, as i don't think this would scare the hell out of her.She looks so healthy compared to all the other little ones in there.
Glad your little one is ok now.I will tell her about them it may give her a bit of hope.x

OP posts:
thingamajig · 12/03/2008 20:56

Hey NF, its horrid isnt it. Im sure your niece will be fine and it is good for your SIL to have such a caring SIL. Because most of the other babies in the unit were premie, dd looked so big next to them.
Try to look for the best in the situation; The staff were always really good at answering my questions, its actually nice in some respects to have so much support in the first few days, as my stay in hosp allowed me to sleep a bit while the nurses were looking after my baby, and they also got me off to a really good start with bf. Im sure they will encourage your SIL to express as breastmilk is so much better for little poorly babies. Keep us all updated, best wishes to all of you

Original poster
nobodysfool · 12/03/2008 22:16

Thingamajig- I explained to my sil that she should probably express her milk so they can feed her it when she isnt around.The nurses hadn't said a word to her about it.
I hope she does express as im sure the lo will get lots of benefit.
Just spoken to MIL and mum and baby have managed to have a cuddle tonight so i think that will do them oth the world of good.
Fingers crossed for the results.

OP posts:
LiegeAndLief · 13/03/2008 10:58

Nobodysfool, sorry to hear about your niece. My ds was premature and spent 7 weeks on SCBU - I just wanted to stress that if your SIL wants to breastfeed she should really ask the nurses now and get someone to help her express. It's a real shame no one has offered already. I was told in hospital that if I delayed expressing (although ds was too poorly to have any milk at first) it could make things harder for me in the future and affect my supply.

She might find she doesn't get much out at first, especially if her milk hasn't come in yet, but it's important to carry on and she should get better and better at it. Do hope she doesn't have to do it for long and they are soon reunited!

My ds also had shadows on his lungs and numerous courses of iv antibiotics for chest infections. It's a very worrying time but he is now a very healthy toddler. Hope all goes well with your niece, your SIL is lucky to have you supporting her.

Overrun · 13/03/2008 11:03

As others have said it could be anything, but step b could be a likely contender, was your sil tested for it during pregnancy? I was tested and came back as strep b positive.

Keep us informed.

Original poster
nobodysfool · 13/03/2008 20:24

The results of the lumber puncture have come back and she has been told there is nothing to worry about there.
Two more results will be back tommorrow so will be keeping our fingers crossed.
I am really worried as she hasn't seemed to bond with the LO.She has asked if she could go home and just come and visit dd everyday.
I was so shocked that she felt able to go home and leave an ill newborn at the hospital.I wouldn't want to leave their side unless i had to.The nurses said they didn't think it was a good idea and thankfully so has her Mum and Dad.
She has tried to express milk today but didn't have much luck but will persevere,hopefully.
If the LO has a feed tonight from the breast they are thinking of letting her go back to her Mums room in the morning and see how things go from there.
I'm really worried my SIL hasn't bonded with her dd.Praying those maternal instincts kick in really soon.

OP posts:
thingamajig · 13/03/2008 22:42

Hi, Im glad the lumbar puncture results are back clear, good luck with the others. Bonding wise, its very early days - they have known each other what 3 days? Its difficult to bond with a baby who is in hospital, possibly in an incubator and with lots of tubes going in and out; they look so delicate and also the nurses will do lots of the routine care where you get to know your baby. Its really good that she may be coming out of the unit to go into her mums room, I felt that when dd did this I was much happier just spending time staring at her etc which I would have done from the start if not shooed in and out of NICU. As my mum said "She's your baby not the hospital's" which sounds silly but I felt that she had been taken over by other people.
BF wise, milk only tends to come in on day 2 or so, which is probably why expressing is difficult. Tiny babies only need a tiny amount of milk, but it is such good stuff that it is really important.
Hope everything goes well and keep us updated.

Original poster
nobodysfool · 14/03/2008 19:20

Update: The LO has come out of the incubator today and has been taken off the monitors and oxygen.
She is still being given antibiotics and will continue for the next few days.
She looks really well and you wouldn't guess that she has been so poorly.
Hopefully in the next few days she will go back to her Mums room.
The tests are all coming back clear so far bit they have found that she has a small heart murmur but are not worried by this at all.
Fingers crossed that she is home soon.

OP posts:
thingamajig · 14/03/2008 23:21

So pleased that she is doing so well, my dd has/had a small heart murmer too, I gather its not someething huge to worry about in newborns as they all have a small "hole in the heart" where the blood supply swaps from being pumped by the placenta to the babies heart. Still not a nice thing to be told.
Hope she gets into her mums room soon, it was only 24 hrs after that that we could go home, may be longer if they want to continue antibiotics for a number of days. How is feeding going?

Mouselady · 14/03/2008 23:27

Only just seen this thread. My SIL went through almost exactly the same thing last November with their first baby, possible infection, lumbar puncture, time in SCBU. They came home when he was 6 days. My nephew is fine now, a real bouncer.
But I do think it dented their confidence, especially hers and she needed extra support when they went home. She was quite reluctant to use her own judgement on caring for her baby and needed a bit of boosting.