Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Angel Care

Madelyn stopped breathing in the middle of the night! I think it was last Thursday. Quick recap on how it went down...

We have an audio monitor, but ours has an extra component. There is a sensor pad that detects movement/breathing. It's the Graco Angel Care. If there is no movement/breathing for 15 seconds a warning beep sounds. If there is no movement/breathing for 5 seconds after that (total of 20 seconds) the alarm will sound. Well, the warning beep sounded once and the alarm didn't come on, so we disregarded it. About a minute later the warning beep sounded again and alarm didn't come on either. Jose checked on her and she was fine. Several minutes later the warning beep sounded and I looked at the monitor and the pendulum wasn't going back and forth (showing movement) and 5 seconds later the alarm sounded. The real deal! We ran to her room, alarm blaring in our ears! As I reached in her crib and touched her back to feel her breathing the alarm was still sounding. After several seconds she started moving. The sound of the alarm and me touching her back probably startled her. We are pretty sure she stopped breathing. However, she was on her belly, with her knees underneath her, lying in the corner. There's a chance that her belly/chest wasn't touching the mattress so no movement was detected. Either way, it was frightening! Thank God our little angel is okay.

We LOVE our monitor! And it's not about being overly paranoid. Many families have even discovered that their baby has sleep apnea or a breathing disorder by having this monitor. Jose has sleep apnea and Madi has nasal issues, so this calms our hearts. We don't feel the need to go to her room 10 times a night to see if she is breathing. SIDS occurs when a baby stops breathing for too long and, therefore, is not revivable. Many families will spend $100 - 300 on a monitor system anyway. It's not like this one is so much more expensive, it was only $140. But I do not care how expensive it is, I would have bought it regardless.

I remember that the alarm went off once when she was in her bassinette. She must have been a few months old?

I'm so thankful for the things God has put in our path to protect our little girl and put us at ease.

Sigh. Smile.

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