# Baby not breathing at birth and CPR



## Ewus (Jul 29, 2015)

Hi everyone,

I am new here , but I have been reading and re-reading one of the threads in this site over and over regarding babies who did not breathe on their own after delivery and needed CPR had low Apgar scores,etc. I saw so many encouraging posts there of mothers who went through this horrible experience but they and the kids are are doing fine that it gave me hope everything will be OK. 
Since the thread is from 2007 I decided to start a new one hoping people would share their stories and how their kids are doing today.

I went through a quite traumatic birth 3 months ago with my daughter as the labour was induced, it was very long , the doctors used vacuum to get her out and she did not breathe on her own when she came out, she did not cry and was reanimated with very very low Apgar scores at 1 and 5 mins. 
The doctors said that they measured her cord blood gasses and they do not think she was oxygen deprived but since any damage to the brain becomes clear later on in life around ages 3-4 I can't help but be terrified every single day that something has gone wrong and she might have some disability 

Please share your stories

Thank you!


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## Turquesa (May 30, 2007)

DD came out of the womb blue with a low AS. It's a blur what happened, but I know that the midwives resuscitated her successfully. I wish I could give you more details, but I pushed for I won't say how long, so I have a smidgeon of amnesia. :Sheepish Today, she's a spunky, bright 8-year-old.


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## cyclamen (Jul 10, 2005)

I've had 3 kids. First one was blueish at birth, needed some stimulation, is 6 now and just fine. 2nd needed major resuscitation, machines, blood transfusion. She had a very short life. 3rd, no issues, also healthy kid now. Neonatal resuscitation and the aftermath are a special interest of mine.

It's normal to feel scared and anxious after an experience like yours, and it was very recent, too. I hope you are getting the support you need.

Cord blood gases give a pretty good idea of how the baby is compensating for a period without oxygen. When the body stops being able to compensate, then the blood becomes acidic, and that is reflected in the pH of the blood. Also, they will measure how much dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide was in her blood. Basically, if hers was normal, it most likely reflects that she was able to compensate during the time she wasn't breathing on her own.

The other thing about babies is that their brains are incredibly plastic. That's because babies have millions of more neurons than adults do, and as they grow, their brains prune away what they don't need. So unlike an adult who has a brain injury, a baby has more neurons to work with. They just reroute around the damaged areas. This is why predicting future abilities even in babies with a diagnosed brain injury is not easy to do - many exceed the predictions.

Your baby is most likely fine. Love her, hold her, and talk to her. Keep an eye on her milestones. But try to rest your heart. Even if future issues arise, you will deal with them.


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

Without knowing her Apgars and cord gasses, I can't say for sure but it sounds like she was stunned from birth experience and maybe a very short-lived oxygen deprivation.

Those babies do tend to do much better in the long term than babies who have a sustained oxygen deprivation.

I'm sure you will get some reassurance as she starts to achieve milestones. While some things may take that long to manifest, I think you would see signs of the most common problems before that.


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## Ewus (Jul 29, 2015)

katelove said:


> Without knowing her Apgars and cord gasses, I can't say for sure but it sounds like she was stunned from birth experience and maybe a very short-lived oxygen deprivation.
> 
> Those babies do tend to do much better in the long term than babies who have a sustained oxygen deprivation.
> 
> ...


Oh thank you all so much for the replies! It makes me feel so much better 0
I don't really talk about it with anybody else except my husband as it is still too painful to share even with my friends... I felt that here would be the place I feel most comfortable to share with others. So, thank you again!
For now she is doing good-smiling,cooing all the time,trying to roll over. I haven't noticed anything strange 

Her Apgars were 1/2/8 grrrr and I sneaked a peek of the ph i think was sth like 7.2


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