Sleep Study

Last night was probably the worst night I've had in a long time.  Carter had to go in to Primary's overnight for a sleep study.  We have heard him holding his breath and think he may have sleep apnea.  He also wakes up a few times at night either crying or just fidgeting around, and we wanted to see why.  I had to reschedule this appointment a few times because he was sick and I was also dreading it.  We had to check in by 8 p.m. and I was the parent that had to stay with him.  My hubby has a later shift at work so he couldn't be with us.  They weighed him with his PJ's on and he was over 28 pounds (I swear it's different almost everyday) and he's over 35 inches long.  They took him back to the room and started hooking him up to all the stuff.  Unfortunately I did not get a picture because right when they were done the lights were off and it was bedtime.  They put about 36 leads on his head and/or body; they were doing a full EEG all night long which is to monitor seizure activity.  The other leads were to monitor if his leg twitched, if he snored, etc.

They also put a canola in his nose with a stick that pokes out, to see if he is breathing through his mouth and if there are delays.  They tied two belts around his chest to monitor his chest breaths, if there was sleep apnea or delays in his breathing.  He looked pretty funny actually, but he was not too happy when they were done with him.  I hooked him up to his feeding for the night, then turned out all lights but one to read.  It probably took him 30 minutes to fall asleep, and that was the beginning of the end.  It was the longest night ever of my life, it just dragged and dragged.  I could hear Carter's breathing, his moving around, scratching the bed, laughing, sometimes crying very loud....there is a reason we don't share rooms.  I felt bad for him, but I have to admit, more for myself because I am pregnant and they had just a hard recliner chair that pulls out into a bed.  I tried pillows, different positions, blankets, but nothing seemed to work.  It's not that I'm that big yet, it's that that "bed" is that awful.  The night techs also came in several times throughout the night, so I really don't know how much I slept. 

They have you check out at 6 am, which seems like a ridiculous time to me.  They woke Carter up with a thumb prick, so mean!  They unhooked him from everything and then I bundled him up and drove home.  It was still pitch black outside and I was so tired, I didn't know if I would make it home.  I picked up some breakfast sandwiches because I was starving, but upon arriving home I immediately threw up.  Soo fun.  Thankfully Carter slept in the car and went almost right back to sleep.  He slept until 10 am which I am thankful for.  We don't get results for one week on the EEG and two weeks for the sleep study.  They did say he had several episodes of sleep apnea, but I'm not sure how bad.  I am glad we did it and got it done, now I hope I never have to repeat that again.  I will post his results when we hear back.