Re: preemie-l Need advice on dr
Crystal Gordon (Crystal.Gordon@sys8.wfc.com)
Fri, 7 Jun 1996 11:12:12 -300
Everything you described sounds so familar! Ashley was born 17 weeks
early and she too was very irratible and on the apnea monitor. Every
time she would cry (which was often) that monitor would go off and it
was a combination that could drive anyone insane.
What you have to realize is that the atmoshpere at home is very
different from the hospital. At the hospital there were lights on
almost all the time, there were many different sounds and nurses were
stimulating them off and on. At home, you probably think the quieter
the better, but with preemies, that's not the case. I suggest you do
what we do. We got a cassette player and a bedtime lullabye tape and
put it in her bed. We not only used it to help her go to sleep, but
we also used the music to calm her down. It and having lights on
seemed to work for us. Ashley is now 13 months and we still use it
to put her to bed.
And about which doctor to use, if I had a chance to use a
neonatalogist rather than a ped I would have done it. But there was
no one in our hospital that did that. I have a great ped though. I
think you should choose the doctor you feel comfortable with. Make
an appointment with the doctor before you decide and make sure that
he/she knows your childs history and is up to date on preemies. This
could make the whole process a little easier.
Good luck! And they do eventually stop screaming!
Crystal Gordon
(Mom to Ashley:23wks, 1lb 2oz. - now 13 months & 14lbs)