Sleep Study Update

Callie's sleep study appointments went really well. We first met with a doctor specializing in pediatric sleep disorders. I really liked him. He listened and he understood. We didn't get many answers but we did learn that Callie's nighttime headbutting is not really that uncommon. According to the doctor, children typically awaken between 6-10 times at night and most roll over and go back to sleep. Then there are some, like Callie, who start headbutting. It has nothing to do with her prematurity. Premature children do as well as those who are born full term. Researchers have not been able to figure out why some children do it. It is very annoying to the rest of the family but it is not annoying to Callie. It is just how she puts herself back to sleep. He told us to keep our box fan on so the rest of the family can sleep and as quickly as it all started, she will one day grow out of it and stop. It may be two years from now and it may be 10 years. That's not exactly what we wanted to hear but we will take it. He did mention medication that might could help her sleep, but Jason and I don't want to go that route.

Given Callie's complex medical history he did think it was worth completing the sleep study just to make sure there were no more issues surrounding her difficulty sleeping. Jason had the privilege of staying with Callie overnight at the sleep clinic, and they had a pretty good night. Callie had so many electrodes and stickers and straps stuck to her that she had trouble hitting her head but the doctor said they captured a few good episodes. Like he suspected, all of her vitals were great through the night and the headbutting mainly occurs during her transitional sleep. There is nothing we can do about but it was nice to hear that there is nothing concerning about it.