ex machina
the eric update - nicu noise.
now that eric isn't on cpap, he gets a brief respite from the constant din of the whitenoise produced by the air rushing through the mask; the unfortunate side effect is that he can hear all the other sounds of the nicu just that much better.
although it was difficult to do, i think the representative minute of nicu noise inthe movie is perfectly average. sometimes it's quieter and sometimes it's noisier. much noisier. after 30 seconds of relative quietness, it really starts to pick up in decibels. of course, all of the different bells are indicative of different things, such as a IV drip running dry, or an apnea or a vent tube being blocked. none of the alarms in this clip were produced by any of eric's equipment.
you can get the greatest sense of "being there" by putting on a set of headphones.
8/17/2004 07:11:00 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
As disheartening as the prolonged setbacks can be, just know your little guy is doing great!
Now on to the play things... When are we going to see E4 sporting his own isolette cover, or better yet music system? :)
Our NICU allowed us to post pictures outside of the incubater, along with seasonal window clings, etc. Decoration - it's all about decoration :) As to the music, the nurses told us it was one of the best ways to calm Kyle when we wheren't there... A little soft classical music (we found harps to be the best), makes for a very happy baby. Along with pre-recorded sounds of mommy & daddy's voice. And let's not forget TOYS! (Or as we liked to refer to them as, thumb propers)
http://www.knoernschild.org/kyle/Mar2004/IMG_0313.html
Seriously though, on the toy front... We put the link rings in as soon as he started grabbing our finger. The ones by Sassy that have the rubberized grip are particularly nice:
http://www.knoernschild.org/kyle/Mar2004/IMG_0283.html
It's a great help developmentally, and oddly comforting - I guess because the grip is much like a finger.
Just hearing that stresses me out! It gives the impression that there is always a heightened level of panic with any one of the tiny patients. I am guessing you never really get used to the alarms. But, at least the babies get used to lots of noise - I'd guess preemies might be good sleepers and better able to tune things out once they're home.
C
By 
, at
10:17 AM
ahh, but eric does have a music system :-) appropriately enough, he seems to enjoy listening to "music to be born by" in addition to the usual lullaby tunes and ocean waves. classical is good too, but i keep forgetting to take in a cd for him.
it's hard to see from the pictures, but we have photos of family plastered around the inside of the radiant warming bed and his nieces and nephews have been doing a great job of making eric special pieces of art that we hang around his area.
great idea on the toys! i'll have to check out the sassy rings - i didn't think we'd be able to find ones that were the right size for his tiny hands, but your picture looks like they make small ones.
I am guessing you never really get used to the alarms/.
actually, i've found that, if it's an average number of alarms and they're all "low priority" ( as are most of the alarms in the segment ) then i tend to filter them out. that can change pretty quickly though when you hear the "bong! bong!" of a full blown apnea.
"loud talkers" are perhaps worse than the alarms alarming at a normal rate. during peak visitor hours, if you get a few loud talkers in the room then everyone elevates their voices and when combined with the alarms it can drive you batty.
they do have little earmuffs for baby's that are overly sensitive to noise, but they don't like to use them unless it's absolutely necessary since they require adhesive, which they try to avoid putting sticky stuff on their sensitive skin ( most nurses even try to avoid putting on band-aids for the same reason ).
That is so great that he is "Set-up" :) The nurses told us that the babies that have "comforts" really fare much better. I was also told something about a study linking ADD/ADHD, and the children who had music/personal comforts had a decreased risk (I've yet to find that study online however - still looking). It makes sense though, if they feel safe and protected vs. just out there and exposed, especially with all the "background noise".
Oh, and when they get home, they sleep GREAT - during the day (LOL). Kyle can sleep through the loudest movies, activity - we even vacuum right next to him, he doesn't budge. But the second he hits the bed... Well, let's just say that we still keep the cd player going for him at night - or we wouldn't get ANY sleep at all! Last night he slept from 4PM - 4AM (going through a growth spurt). But most nights, he's out by 6PM (but we keep him in the room w/us, ie. Living room, dining room, office, etc).
At least you and DW will enjoy many evenings without much interruption (except for feeding time)...
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