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My little man went in for a sleep study a few weeks ago. We’re not strangers to the hospital, but this was a bit of a new experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The pamphlet the hospital sent me in the mail had a few tidbits of information, but I still had questions. If you are heading in for a sleep study soon, maybe you can learn a thing or two from my experience.
The following information and tips are based solely on my experience with my seven month old at our hospital. I’m sure there are variations based on different situations. This post is meant to give insight into our experience.
I was told to check into the hospital at 8:00 pm. Because my baby was due for a bottle at 8, I got there early and fed him in the car so I wouldn’t have to worry about feeding him when the technician wanted to get him hooked up. I’m glad I planned it that way.
I checked in with the security officer, got my badge, and headed to the area of the hospital I was directed to. The technician met me and walked me to the room. Because the study was for my seven month old, there was a hospital crib next to a computer. There was a glider, my bed with blankets and a pillow, and a sink.
I was immediately given paperwork that seemed to ask a lot of the same questions over and over again. As with just about every appointment we have, I had to write out concerns, medications, typical behaviors, and all diagnosed medical issues. They wanted to know how he usually sleeps at night and what the previous night was like.
The technician seemed glad my son was happy as he started putting monitors all over his head. Another technician came in to help, and my baby ended up crying. For a long time. I didn’t blame him. There were seriously so many monitors. They were up and down his legs, all over his head, on his throat, on his cheeks, around his waist and chest, and under his nose. The technician placed a mesh hat over the monitors to hold everything in place.
He didn’t look comfortable, and it was extremely hard to get him to sleep. The cords and wires were long enough that I could pick him up, but I worried about shifting him and messing with the monitors. It was also pretty difficult to put him back down and keep him asleep.
From the time we got there to the time I got him to sleep was a little over an hour. I wasn’t used to going to sleep that early, so I sat quietly in the corner and read on my phone with the lights off. The technician came in a few times to adjust monitors. It stressed me out a little that there was a camera on my baby and someone was watching every time I had to soothe him (he did wake up three or four times) and that they could walk in whenever, but the tech just came in, did what he needed to do, and left.
I hung out on my phone for a while, made a quick trip down the hall to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, and set up my son’s g-tube feed before going to bed. I slept pretty well, despite the bright light from a screen by the crib. One of my big worries was waking up when I needed to in the morning because I am not a morning person. I heard the tech taking the monitors off and let myself slowly wake up before going over to see how things went.
I got a few pieces of information but was told I would have to wait a few weeks for full results. I filled out a paper on what the night was like: what time he went to sleep, how many times he woke up, and how that compares to a normal night. I wish I’d known to pay attention to all of that!
They brought in a hat for my little man’s very greasy head to protect our car seat, and we were out of there by 6:45 am. It did take several hair washes to get all of the gunk out. I’d heard coconut oil helps and read to use conditioner. I did both plus several rinses. Not sure what helped most.
Here are a few tips from my experience:
Snap Jammies
We’ve used snap jammies
Bring Clothes You Can Get Dirty
I had no idea how messy a sleep study could be! There was lots of greasy goop in his hair, but there were also sticker marks on his legs, chest, and face. I found little colored stains all over his jammies. I had dressed him in cute pjs because we were actually leaving the house in them, but I wish I’d known the hazards involved.
For the record, all stains seem to have come out with stain remover
Wear What You’ll Sleep In
I wore sweats and a baggy shirt I felt comfortable in public in. I slept in the outfit I went in, and that made things easier. I didn’t have to worry about changing, lugging extra clothes around, or trying to get ready for the day in the super quick morning check out.
Bring Comfort Items
My son had a hard time sleeping there. He usually goes down SO easily, but was crying hysterically and woke way more than normal. It was a different place and there was no way he was comfortable. I took his binki, of course, but I also took his sound machine
Pack Light
I am an overpacker. I always want to be as prepared as possible and tend to take dozens of extra things I don’t use for this type of thing. I won’t list all of the things I took “just in case,” but I will give you a list of the things I would take next time…
For Baby:
- Food (bottles, formula, breastmilk, warm water, etc.)
- Medications
- Diapers and wipes
- Comfort items (binki, sound machine, favorite toy, blanket, etc.)
- Any other medical necessities
For Mom/Dad:
- Phone charger
- Entertainment (phone, book)
- Personal hygiene items (toothbrush, toothpaste, retainer, contacts/glasses supplies, hairbrush, etc)
What questions do you have about sleep studies? If you or your baby has had one, what other tips do you have?
