We've been through so much with Micah, medically speaking, that sometimes we almost forget that there are other kids here to worry about. We're so grateful that we can forget about them in that aspect. Healthy kids are wonderful to have. I'm just saying.
My mom just brought to my attention the fact that Luke does strange things in his sleep. This makes me feel guilty, as a mom, because I should be in the know about things like this. The sad fact is that since I've become a mom I've learned to sleep through just about everything.
I know this sounds contradictory to my mom-status, but it's true. Mind you, if I have a sick child I can hear them breathing all night long at the other end of the hallway in their own bedroom with the door closed. But if I am not aware that a child is sick, they can barf up supper and part of lunch all over their bed, on the steps and down the hall to the bathroom and I am none the wiser. I have to be in the know before I can tell my subconscience to be on alert while I sleep. Many has been the night that I have been awakened by a child that just told me that I have a mess to clean up. Not a fun way to be awakened, let me tell you.
So that is why I was not aware that Luke had a problem. Apparently, he seems to suddenly sit up, gasp for air, and then lay back down and sleep soundly before repeating the said behavior over and over all night. How have I missed this kind of stuff? Josh even verified that Luke does, indeed, sit up and breathe heavily a lot at night. They share a room; he'd know.
So tonight I conducted an experiment. After Luke was asleep I listened to him breathing for well over an hour. He couldn't be any more normal. I know for a fact that once I fall asleep I'll be out for the night because my subconscious mom-dar will not pick up on someone sitting up and laying back down. I'm the one who sleeps through the bedside phone ringing, my husband going to work in the wee smalls of the night, returning hours later, then being called out again. I frequently get glared at when I ask him if it was a quiet night, when in reality he got 25 minutes of sleep total.
Sam is suggesting a sleep study. If the poor kid is suffering from apnea in a big-time way, and I as a mom am failing to pick up on it, something needs to be done about it. Maybe I'll have to pull an all-nighter just to watch my boy sleep. I only fear that I'd join him in slumber land. I'm a stellar mom that way.
15 comments:
Don't stress. A sleep study is a good idea. My Little Guy had apnea prior to the tonsils and adenoids coming out. You'll be sent to an ENT first, to check everything out. Is Luke tired all the time? Bags under his eyes? How long does Josh say this has been going on?
You're a good mom, Karen. And for the record, I do the same thing when it comes to sleep and mom-dar.
How bad would a sleep study be? I have a few friends who've had them done on their kids and it hasn't been a major deal... but I also have a friend who was talking about it for her youngest on Friday and the husband absolutely refused to allow her son go through it. Who knows. Would it hurt anything to do it and know for sure?
And I get the sleeping soundly thing. It's a mom talent designed to extract maximum sleep when sleep time is available.
Either way... good luck!
I agree, try the sleep study. If it turns out Luke does have apnea then getting him set up with a CPAP will give everyone a good nights rest!
Your a good mom, Karen. Don't ever tell yourself otherwise!
(((hugs)))
Don't beat yourself up about this. A sleep study is probably a good idea- that way, you would know one way or another if there is an issue. And you ARE a stellar mom.
I am a lurker..LOL.
I do this as well,thus far I believe mine has been a response to stress,but I feel very frightened mid-sleep,gasp,and then go back to sleep.
My eldest girl with DS has a sleep study done for apnea,I thought it was an awful experience-not a painful one but it was difficult for her to even sleep because of all the wires and such,and I didnt get a wink that night either.BUT I do think it is a good idea,better safe than sorry.Good Luck!
it's easy to miss what's right under your nose.
but how come josh didn't complain about his roommate's disruptive sleep habits?????
Can I get a little of that sleeps through anything thing at a store somewhere? I wake up if a flea jumps off a blade of grass four miles away. The Suck.
Don't beat yourself up, ma'am. Just call the ped and get him to a sleep study. It can't hurt, and it'll save you from staying up all night staring at him only to be left either calling the ped, or wondering if the one good night was an aberration and you shouldn't do it again.
Guilt not called for. I have no idea how any of my kids over age 8 sleep. I send them to bed and I'm done for the night.
Forget staying up all night, mama ... I'd call the ped and get the sleep study, too. Sometimes they can just give you monitors that you attach at night while the kid is asleep and they don't have to go into a sleep center. Good luck ... and don't feel guilty! I have slept through barfing incidents, too, even when the barf was ON me.
Don't stay up all night to listen. You will need your alertness to make the appointment, take him to the appointment/s, et cetera.
Poor guy!
Most of the comments my mom makes about the kids goes in one ear and out the other. I know them best. Thank goodness you listen to your mom! You'll feel much better after you take him.
I would so love to sleep through the night. Most of my kids can. Me? Not so much.
I have a friend that says she checks on her kids all night long. She will wake up and feel the need to and check up on them. I wake up and feel the need to pee!! Then I have the need to crawl back under my covers and go back to sleep.
Don't feel bad. I would put a video camera up after he goes to sleep and see if you can watch it in the morning. That way you can fast forward through the boring sleeping part.
And I have always said that they should have an alarm clock that sounds like a kid throwing up. That sure would get me out of bed fast!
When I can sleep soundly, I do it with no compunction. You are not a bad mom.
Maybe he does have apnea and, according to some friends of mine who've gone through it w/ their kids, a sleep study is a pretty non-invasive way to find out if there's a problem.
But don't take my third hand information as a real resource -- I'm not a doctor, and I didn't even stay in a Holiday Inn last night.
(But I am married to one . . . does that count?)
I want some of that sleep. I wake up SOO easily. I hope everything's okay with Luke. Think you can set the video recorder to catch it?
I'm with the others. Talk to your ped and get a sleep study. If nothing else, you'll get peace of mind. And if it is sleep apnea (which it does sound like), he can get treatment and much better sleep!
I used to be able to sleep through anything, but I feel constantly on alert with our child who doesn't sleep well. Plus the pregnancy has me waking often and trouble getting back to sleep. Sigh...
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