Not exactly a question on Covid but on the ramifications that Covid may have on the situation, and I'm thinking it would be useful if some of the medical professionals on this board could share their opinion.
Daughter in law was induced this past Monday. She only pushed 7 minutes and in her words "she popped right out". The doctor then admitted the beautiful baby to the NICU and put her on a CPAP to "clear her lungs". The doctor said that usually the lungs clear as a result of the labor process but with a short period of intense pushing her lungs didn't clear. But here's where it gets strange. They soon diagnosed her with apnea, i.e. short periods where she stopped breathing. So she was seen by a respiratory therapist and there was talk that she may need a brain scan. Scared my son and his wife to death. Then, after a couple of days, they say that it's not apnea and that she stopped breathing because of the CPAP, like when a baby is crying intensely but you hear nothing because she is actually holding her breath. Okay, fine, better safe than sorry. So they begin weaning her off the CPAP, and cannulas for feeding and oxygen. My daughter in law of course says, thank God my baby is healthy, I need skin time, and we're going home. But wait - the hospital says that they have a procedure to wait 48 hours after removing the tubes before they will discharge. DIL is furious - because of Covid, the time she can spend with the baby is limited, both parents can't go in together, and mother time with a newborn is limited. So a perfectly healthy baby is not expected to go home until six days after delivery.
The doctors/nurses have not or will not provide a logical explanation why an arbitrary 48 hour "rule" applies to this healthy baby. Again, nobody finds fault with the decision to put her on a CPAP. But the after-care is raising serious concerns. My conspiracy theory mind says that this is simply a desire to keep insurance money flowing to the NICU. This is where I need help from you medical professionals - can there be a valid medical reason to hold a baby who is breathing on her own and who was, and I'm not sure if this is the correct word, "misdiagnosed"? That she is in the NICU for a condition that didn't exist stands out to me.
Daughter in law was induced this past Monday. She only pushed 7 minutes and in her words "she popped right out". The doctor then admitted the beautiful baby to the NICU and put her on a CPAP to "clear her lungs". The doctor said that usually the lungs clear as a result of the labor process but with a short period of intense pushing her lungs didn't clear. But here's where it gets strange. They soon diagnosed her with apnea, i.e. short periods where she stopped breathing. So she was seen by a respiratory therapist and there was talk that she may need a brain scan. Scared my son and his wife to death. Then, after a couple of days, they say that it's not apnea and that she stopped breathing because of the CPAP, like when a baby is crying intensely but you hear nothing because she is actually holding her breath. Okay, fine, better safe than sorry. So they begin weaning her off the CPAP, and cannulas for feeding and oxygen. My daughter in law of course says, thank God my baby is healthy, I need skin time, and we're going home. But wait - the hospital says that they have a procedure to wait 48 hours after removing the tubes before they will discharge. DIL is furious - because of Covid, the time she can spend with the baby is limited, both parents can't go in together, and mother time with a newborn is limited. So a perfectly healthy baby is not expected to go home until six days after delivery.
The doctors/nurses have not or will not provide a logical explanation why an arbitrary 48 hour "rule" applies to this healthy baby. Again, nobody finds fault with the decision to put her on a CPAP. But the after-care is raising serious concerns. My conspiracy theory mind says that this is simply a desire to keep insurance money flowing to the NICU. This is where I need help from you medical professionals - can there be a valid medical reason to hold a baby who is breathing on her own and who was, and I'm not sure if this is the correct word, "misdiagnosed"? That she is in the NICU for a condition that didn't exist stands out to me.
