Parents, preparing for the birth of a baby, try to acquire everything necessary to make the life of their baby as comfortable and safe as possible. The list of such devices includes a breathing monitor for newborns.
Is a breath monitor really necessary?
This device performs automatic control of the baby's breathing, which allows parents to be calm about his safety. This device is especially necessary for those who have a premature baby, due to its not fully developed respiratory system. Often obstetricians themselves advise parents to purchase special devices for self-assessment of the baby's condition.
In addition, children under the age of one year have an underdeveloped central nervous system and an unstable respiratory system, which often causes respiratory arrest. Similar situations often happen at night when the kids are sleeping. Moreover, during sleep, this can happen repeatedly, which causes great concern among parents. Breathing stops negatively affect the conditionof the brain, which, if the outcome is poor, can lead to sudden death syndrome.
What is SIDS?
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a medical diagnosis (medical conclusion) given to a he althy child who has died for no apparent reason. This tragic case has no unequivocal scientific confirmation. According to statistics, today 0.2% of babies become victims of uncaused death. Usually, respiratory arrest is recorded at night or early morning hours.
Who is at risk?
The risk group usually includes:
- children born by caesarean section;
- newborn babies weighing less than 2kg;
- children transferred to artificial feeding;
- infants with pathology of cardiac and respiratory activity;
- babies whose siblings died from SIDS.
Possible causes of SIDS
When a doctor cannot determine the cause of the death of an infant, the child is diagnosed with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The reasons why young children die have not yet been identified.
One version of SIDS is a defect in the centers of respiration and awakening. A newborn baby with this feature is not able to respond to unusual situations. If the baby's oxygen is cut off during sleep, the baby may not wake up from anxiety, resulting in SIDS.
The older the child, the lower the risk of SIDS. Highest %cases of sudden death are observed in two-, three- and four-month-old babies. Among preschool children, such a phenomenon as SIDS is not registered. Usually with babies after nine months of life, such fears are already removed.
Probable causes of SIDS include:
- Prolongation of the QT interval on the electrocardiogram. This indicator is responsible for the stability of the electric field of the heart. Prolongation of the QT interval is diagnosed if the duration of QTc exceeds 0.44 s. Increasing this value can lead to the development of dangerous cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death of the baby.
- Apnea. This is a condition when an infant during sleep has a short-term delay in breathing, which can last about 5-25 seconds. Premature babies are more likely to stop breathing and need more care and attention.
- Deficiency of serotonin receptors. The lack of cells that capture serotonin located in certain parts of the brain is a common finding at autopsy after SIDS. The lack of these cells tends to be concentrated in the area of the brain responsible for cardio-respiratory synchrony (the link between breathing and heart rate).
- Incomplete thermoregulation. The brain cells responsible for thermoregulation mature in children by about three months of age. Shortly before this, changes in the numbers on the thermometer and an inadequate temperature response are possible. The thermometer in the children's bedroom should be 18-20°C. Exceeding these values may lead tooverheating of the baby, which will affect the heart and respiratory activity and lead to sudden death.
There are other hypotheses (genetic, infectious), but none of them can explain all cases of SIDS.
Helping a baby stop breathing
Noticing that the child has suddenly stopped breathing, there is no need to panic. At this moment, parents need to get together, because it depends on the accuracy of their actions whether sudden death occurs or not. The first thing to do is to take the baby in your arms, shake it, massage the limbs and earlobes. Usually these actions are enough for the baby to start breathing again. If the measures taken did not give the desired result, it is necessary to call an ambulance team, do artificial respiration and chest massage. Only a doctor can declare death, and before his arrival, it is imperative to continue resuscitation.
Of course, all actions are effective if they are timely. Therefore, the main method of dealing with SIDS is prevention. Parents should pay attention to the position in which the baby falls asleep (you can’t lay the baby on the stomach), maintaining the optimal temperature, the heaviness and volume of the baby blanket, constantly monitoring the condition of the newborn and caring for him by the medical staff (especially in the first three months of life).
The most important preventive measure is the breath monitor. Such devices can be used both in stationary and at home. Forchildren at risk, especially those with pathologies of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, the use of a home respiratory monitor is mandatory.
Types of breathing monitors
There are four varieties of this device, differing in design and execution:
- Children's breathing monitor. It is installed under the baby's mattress and works in cases when the baby did not move during sleep and did not inhale for 20 seconds. A prerequisite is that the baby sleeps in a crib separately from the parents so that they do not affect the operation of the sensor.
- Mobile breathing monitor for newborns. It is attached to the diaper and does not require the baby to sleep in a separate bed. If the baby does not inhale within 12 seconds, a special vibration signal will immediately work, which will become an impetus for the child to take a breath. Indeed, for this, as a rule, one touch to the baby is enough.
- Baby monitor with breathing monitor. Combines two functions to monitor the condition of the crumbs. If necessary, a special signal is sent to the receiver, notifying parents of the baby's need for special attention.
- Video baby monitor with breathing monitor. Sends an alarm to the device monitor.
Review of popular models
Physiological monitors monitoring the he alth of newborns are becoming more and more popular. Today, the market offers a large selection of different gadgets that measure heart rate, respiration and other vital signs. Based on reviews of breath monitors fornewborns, then companies such as Babysense, Snuza, Angelcare, etc. deserve the most attention.
Babysense
Babysense breathing monitors (Israel) is a unique life-saving protection system for newborns. This device is suitable for both premature and he althy children from birth to one year old. It can be used in maternity hospitals, children's hospitals and at home.
The device continuously monitors the baby's body movement and breathing rate, sending audible and visual alarms when breathing stops for more than 20 seconds or when the breathing rate changes dangerously (less than 10 breaths per minute).
Respiratory monitor for newborns consists of a control unit and touch panels placed between the bottom of the bed and the mattress. These sensors monitor the baby's movements without making direct contact with or restricting baby's movements.
The device is absolutely safe for the baby, approved by leading neonatal centers, and also has a registration certificate of the Ministry of He alth of the Russian Federation.
Snuza
Snuza hero is an electronic breathing sensor with a sensitive piezoelectric sensor that is placed directly on the baby's tummy and captures any movement in the contact area. This model is equipped with a built-in vibration stimulator that can automatically “push” the baby’s breathing if it is interrupted, and also turn on an alarm when it stops. Appliance perfectsuitable for children sleeping with parents, as well as for twins lying in the same bed.
According to parents, the principle of operation of a breathing monitor for newborns is quite simple. The leading element of the device is a small piezoelectric type sensor, closed on top with a colored protective cap. It converts the mechanical energy of the muscles into electrical signals, transmitting them to the control unit, which in turn records the number of activations for a specific period of time and turns on a danger signal when the amount is below the set level.
The device is absolutely safe. It does not emit dangerous radio waves, does not cause irritation and cannot harm the baby (for example, scratch it). According to parents, this model is able to work up to 12 months on a single battery, which is a huge plus for any electronic device.
Angelcare AC701
This is perhaps the best baby monitor that combines high sound quality and the presence of a sub-mattress sensor - a breath monitor that displays all the movements and breathing of a child. Its action is comparable to the work of AA batteries, and therefore it is absolutely safe for the child. An alarm sounds 20 seconds after the device has not detected any movement / breath of the baby.
The title of the best baby monitor is also supported by the presence of a large number of additional features:
- two-way communication;
- the presence of a night light on the children's unit;
- discharge indicatorbatteries;
- out of range indicator, which is 230 m;
- ticking signal informing how the baby is breathing;
- room temperature control;
- ECO function to save electricity and radiation;
- search for parent block.
And finally…
Care for the he alth of the baby can not be excessive. A device such as a breathing monitor for newborns will allow you to prevent possible problems in a timely manner and make sure that the baby takes his breath in time. After all, stopping breathing, even if it does not lead to death, can have various negative consequences in the future due to oxygen starvation of the brain.
