I am aware that this is an old thread, but I am hoping that I may find some help here regarding this topic. I am actually not a medical student, I am a mother. I will start off with a little back round... My son is currently healthy and thriving at 13 years old. However, this was not always the case. He had a hard birth, with the cord wrapped tightly around the neck. He was born blue and not breathing but luckily I had a fantastic doctor with an amazing team of nurses backing him. Within in a minute I heard him cry but it was not the normal newborn cry, it was soft but he was breathing on his own and I was lucky enough to be able to hold him within 5 minutes of the birth. It was apx 3 in the morning and because of the delivery the baby could not stay in the room or breast feed yet. He needed to monitored constantly until he had been thoroughly checked and examined. My husband wanted to stay but I said, "No, go to my moms and see our girl. Tell her she has a baby brother, then take a nap there. Come back around 9 or 10." Boy, do I wish that I never told him to leave. At 7am a male doctor came in, he was not our pediatrician who was on call and he was not one of their doctors in their group, he just said are you here alone? I said yes. He said I want to talk to you and your husband about a test that I liked to do on your adorable baby. The thing is I like to get both parent permission when it comes to newborns. I called Sean. The doctor did a great job at making it seem like everything was ok. Problem was... Sean was sound asleep at my parents and could not hear the phone, and my parents took my daughter to breakfast and the park. So 45 minutes later, husband still not there, the doctor returned and asked if I got a hold of him and if he was coming in. I explained that I sent him to my parents to sleep but no one is answering. He sat on the edge of the bed and actually held my hand. He said "I wanted to speak with you while you had the support of your husband but I can not wait anymore because it could big deal or a small deal. I am not sure yet. I am a Pediatric Cardiologist from Children's. I was called in for a consult, since the overnight doctor believed he heard some sort of murmur. I need to do an Echo-cardiogram on your son to see what is happening. I am taking him down with a nurse and doing the test personally. I will be back in about 30 minutes." That was the worst 30 minutes of my life. He came back with a grin on his face and said, " He has a VSD in the lower part of the ventricle. He does not need surgery today and we will watch it. The heart is normal size and the hole isnt huge. As long as his heart grows normal and the hole stays the same size, I am hoping he will not need surgery for this condition. As the heart gets larger the muscle of the heart may close all by itself." WHICH IT DID!
Ok, now on to the rest of the story... My son had MAJOR respiratory issues. He had RSV, pneumonia, bronchitis... you name it, he probably had it. He was on oxygen at home, had 2 different nebulizer treatments. One med was 2x's a day and the other 4-6x's a day, depending on how he was breathing. He had to be monitored 24/7, so my husband and I took shifts... talk about lack of sleep! I was lucky if I got 2-3 hours in a row, 2 times a day. Especially, because our daughter was just about 2 and loud! My blessing came from my husbands aunt, who was an Army Nurse and then when her service was up, she specialized in Pediatric Respiratory Care. She bought me a stethoscope and taught me how to use it. She taught me what to listen for in both the heart and lungs. I am so thankful for her because before that... I was taking him to the ER constantly, scared about every sound!
Now, my cousin (who I love dearly!) is pregnant and due in 4-5 weeks. Three weeks ago they have found a problem with the baby during an ultrasound. The babies diagram is up in the chest pushing on the heart and lungs. As of Friday, he is still in a dangerous breech position. So they will be scheduling a C-section, in the next few weeks and then then when the baby is born, he will probably be rushed into emergency surgery. As a mom, who has dealt with a sick child, I can put myself in her shoes and sympathize how terrified and worried she must be. So I thought I would give her my stethoscope, that I used when my son was so sick because it was fabulous but I was just informed TODAY by my husband that when our dog was a puppy... he found it and used it as a chew toy and teething ring! So it was thrown in the garbage years ago. My husbands aunt is not around anymore, so I can not ask her what kind she gave me. So I am asking for some help in selecting a reliable, good stethoscope for someone who is going to be a beginner. I have already found her a class at the local college to help teach her, along with me showing her what I know.
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated! Thank You!
