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Pulse-Oximetry at Birth (I’m THAT Friend)

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May 29, 2016 Ashlea 4 Comments

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Babies.  The smell, the sweet softness of their skin, the endless newborn cuddles.  Who doesn’t love babies?

There must be something in the water because three of my girlfriends have given birth this week. As I flip through their photos on Facebook, “oooh-ing” and “awww-ing”, liking and commenting on all that sweetness, I notice that not one single person suggests a pulse oximetry test.  So, I’ve become “that” friend.

pulseox

Pulse-Oximetry at Birth (I’m THAT Friend) + Why Isn’t This Standard Testing in ALL States?

Why? Because it could have prevented months of our stay in the hospital with our son, and possibly his second open heart surgery, and possibly an hour of CPR and possibly eight days on ECMO.

Are you familiar with pulse oximetry?  It is a painless, non-invasive and very inexpensive (less than $10!) test that measures the percentage of oxygen saturation in the blood, which helps to detect an array of health concerns of a newborn before they leave the hospital – including the most common birth defect and the number one killer: continental heart defects.

Did you know that 1 in 100 babies are born with some kind of heart defect – and statistically speaking, every single day a baby in the US is sent home from the hospital without a critical heart defect being detected, not to mention the non-critical defects. Why hasn’t this changed?

In a healthy baby (or human of any age) the ideal percentage of oxygen in your blood is 100% – meaning that your body is fully oxygenated.  We were told that anything above 93% is considered “good” for our son.  When we took him in (the day he got diagnosed) he was sitting at 74%.  Ouch.

This has to have something to do with his learning difficulties.

As a heart mom, I am baffled and yes, angry as to WHY pulse oximetry testing for newborns is not a requirement in every single state before they send you home.

When Caden (our heart child) was born, he weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs, 12.6 oz.  He was a big boy, and he passed his Apgar test – he was pink and appeared healthy.  At least healthy enough that his critical heart defect (Truncus Arteriosus) was not detected before they sent us home.

It was not detected at his first checkup at 2 weeks of age, nor was it detected at his second checkup at 6 weeks.  He developed a cough that prompted us to take him to urgent care when he was exactly two months old. We later learned that his cough was one result of him having 6x the amount of blood flow to his lungs than he needed.

He wasn’t eating well, he was tired all of the time – being a new mother I figured the sleepiness was just a “newborn thing” – and he was breathing rapidly, his stomach retracting up under his ribs and into the hollow of his neck with every intake of breath.

Had they tested his blood oxygen levels at birth, they would have noticed the percentage was low, would have ordered more testing, and as a result that could have prevented those first two months of poor eating, weight loss (he lost nearly three pounds!) lung damage and brain damage from his body not getting enough oxygen.

I don’t know what that test would have resulted in had they performed it at birth, but I do know that research suggests that the test is accurate 99.9% of the time. Oh, how I wish they would have tested him earlier on.

While this test has certainly become more mainstream in birthing centers across the United States, it needs to be included in the standard testing for every birth in every state.

If you are expecting, I urge you to make sure that they test your baby before you leave the hospital, and don’t be afraid to be an advocate for pulse ox testing yourself.  I wish someone would have for me.

Related:

• Living With CHD: Learning Barriers for Children with Congenital Heart Defects
• Caden’s Feet: Walking the Path of Congenital Heart Defect {CHD Parent}

Heart, Resources for Families CHD, CHD parent, heart, heart child, heart family, pulse ox, pulse oximetry

Comments

  1. Annette says

    July 12, 2018 at 12:58 am

    When my daughter was born in 2014 I had to demand that they did this before we left the hospital. Fortunately, she passed, but there is no reason this test should not be standard. When my friend's son was born this past May (at the same hospital) this test was not performed. It turns out that he IS a CHD baby. His is not as sever as many others. But it makes me wonder if this simple test would not have indicated something was wrong before he left the hospital. Thank you for sharing you journey.
    Reply
  2. Terri says

    June 2, 2016 at 8:52 am

    How do we find out in what states it is now a requirement? How can I help?
    Reply
  3. Amy Maiden says

    May 29, 2016 at 4:02 pm

    You have NO IDEA how relieved I am to hear another mom advocating this. I've been reading online about some other moms who wished they would have had this testing. I'm a week away from my due date and we are DEFINITELY getting this test done with our little one in the hospital. Many thanks to you and speaking out about it! :)
    Reply
    • Ashlea says

      May 30, 2016 at 9:38 am

      Hoping nothing is found, but I'm glad you're getting it done!
      Reply

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Welcome!

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Hi! I’m Ashlea, the Kansas mom, and wife, that runs this crochet, food, and heart (CHD) blog.  I am a frugal, yarn loving crochet addict that enjoys good food and fine wine – or an occasional whiskey. 😉 Read more about me here and see my favorite Amazon products here.

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