Angelcare monitors - false alarms?

[2016]

Following on from my thread yesterday when Stewart's breathing monitor went off, I went out last night and bought an Angelcare mat thingy otherwise I wouldn't have been able to even try go to sleep.

Anyway, tonight the Angelcare went off! OH and I both thundered into the room and Stewart wasn't moving so I put my hand on his tummy and I couldn't feel any movmement so shuddered him a bit and he opened his eyes. As I said on the original thread, he is a very sensitive baby and would wake up if you yawned next to his cot let alone a flashing light wailing siren of the monitor. It's loud!

We had tested the monitor before using it on all parts of the mattress like they recommend and it was positioned on a piece of plywood as instructed. What worries me is he was directly over the mat and didn't respond as I would expect.

Anyone experienced false alarms with the Angelcare?

Here's the original thread if you want to read...
https://www.babyandbump.com/baby-club/573222-im-not-going-sleep-next-24-48-hours.html

 

[Siyren]

we have had the odd false alarm with this (lyssa is still on a monitor at 17 months cos i cant sleep without the beeps)

when you say you've tested it, have you adjusted the sensitivity?

x

 

[malotkins]

I've just seen your original thread - poor you, that's very frightening. I have an Angelcare monitor and since moving it from the moses basket to the cot it has gone off a few times. My heart stops and I am up and over to the cot in a flash. Thank goodness, Dylan has been sleeping fine. I can only assume it has gone off because the pad is directly on the cot slates and not on a board. Re; your monitor, have you checked the sensitivity, it might be worth experimenting a little as maybe its too high?

 

[JadeyB]

Hey hon,

We've had about 5 false alarms in the last 10 months. The first time he was little and I think he had just shifted off the pad. Another time I went in and he was kicking about?! Another time he was in a really really deep sleep and the couple of times it has happend recently he had shifted all the way to the bottom of his cot (its quite a large cot).

When it has gone off, it has never woken him and he is generally quite a light sleeper?! Having said that, if I was in your situation, I think I would take him back to the Dr. I can't believe the Dr said that - grrrr!!!! Mother's instinct is always best so what if its a false alarm, best to get it checked. Can you see another dr?

Big hugs hon, I know it must be really worrying. I'd be the same. xx

 

[peanut56]

I've had 3 false alarms. With two of them, she just must have shimmied herself just out of reach of the sensor pad - she was kind of in the corner both times. The third one (which just happened last week) - I'm not so sure. She was laying almost directly on the pad. I shook her and she didn't respond at first, so I thought the worst. It was probably the worst split second of my entire life. I picked her up and she opened her eyes and gave me this look like, "what are you doing??"
I'm not sure why the alarm went off and why she didn't respond at first, but I don't like to think about the possibility that she stopped breathing.

 

[lozzy21]

Try turning the sensitivity up.

 

[2016]

I think the sensitivity is about 3 which is the highest I could get it without picking up movement next to the cot. Would rather have a false alarm than it not go off because it's detecting something other than his movement. It must be quite sensitive as the pendulum lights up when I gently stroke the fibres of the fabric in the furthest corner of the cot.

 

[riohound]

I had an angelcare with my first baby and yes we had a few false alarms,we also found it picked up a lot of interferance too so with second and third have just got a bt 100 digitalx

 

[babyerin]

I have a Tomee Tippee version, and we get the occasional false alarm.

I told my Dr we had one and he said he hated them, they fed off peoples fears and if your baby has no apnoea then i shouldn't have one. He told me to turn mine off.

It's still on.

 

[2016]

Thanks Ladies. I called the out of hours docs and they told me to take him down to the local medical centre to get checked. Well after hauling him outside in the cold and sitting in the brightly lit waiting room when he should have been sleeping...

The doctor was a total @rse AGAIN! He said he also had never heard of people using these monitors and that he looked fine. HE DIDN'T EVEN EXAMINE HIM!
I could have told you he looked fine now but, to be frank, don't some babies that die of SIDS look fine and then just suddenly stop breathing?
He made me feel like a total freak and I just feel so alone now...

Going back to my GPs tomorrow and will insist they give him a proper look. I simply couldn't forgive myself if something happened. Sure, I could sue the pants off the NHS (not that it's in my nature) but that wouldn't bring back my most precious little boy!

 

[going_crazy]

Aww hun, how horrible. That doc needs some serious people skills....... Even if he "felt" your LO was ok, he should've at least checked his heart & chest etc

Do you leave the noise on your monitor? If so, can you hear that his breathing regular? xxx

 

[2016]

Aww hun, how horrible. That doc needs some serious people skills....... Even if he "felt" your LO was ok, he should've at least checked his heart & chest etc

Do you leave the noise on your monitor? If so, can you hear that his breathing regular? xxx

I leave the sound on, the ticker....and currently the bedroom light! His breathing is fine and regular, he just has a stuffy nose which I've salined again. The bungged up nose makes his breathing quite noisy I can hear it from where I am sleeping. His cot is barely a metre away from me.

 

[Srrme]

My son has only been in his Pack N' Play with the AngelCare monitor a handful of times -- I too have it sitting on a piece of wood, and tested it before using it. I have yet to have a false alarm, but according to the AngelCare reviews, it's quite common.

 

[tu123]

Goodness-you poor mite!

Ours sometimes go off if Lil' is kicking about. She is in a rocking crib and i cant rock her in it as it sets the alarm off.

After having an old friend lose her three yr old to SIDS this month i would not be without it!

 

[going_crazy]

How's LO this morning? No false alarms last night I hope xxxx

 

[2016]

How's LO this morning? No false alarms last night I hope xxxx

We had a couple more times in the early hours where the pre alarm warning beep sounded and he didn't look as if he was breathing especially well so I shuddered him and he jumped and gasped air. Went back to my GP this morning and demanded they take a look so have now been sent up the hospital to be monitored overnight...so stressed its unbelievable.

 

[going_crazy]

We had a couple more times in the early hours where the pre alarm warning beep sounded and he didn't look as if he was breathing especially well so I shuddered him and he jumped and gasped air. Went back to my GP this morning and demanded they take a look so have now been sent up the hospital to be monitored overnight...so stressed its unbelievable.

Aww hun, sorry to hear this, but it's a good thing that they are going to monitor him closely. It may just be a bit of wind catching him - making him hold his breath a bit? Hopefully it's nothing too serious xxxxxxxx

 

[lesleyann]

this monitor was oru livesaver to be honest it only ever went off once and it was before he had forgot to breath, we only stopped using it when he went into a toddler bed. Hope that everything is ok with your Lo hun if there is anything wrong the hospital should pick it up

 

[starrybean]

How's LO this morning? No false alarms last night I hope xxxx

We had a couple more times in the early hours where the pre alarm warning beep sounded and he didn't look as if he was breathing especially well so I shuddered him and he jumped and gasped air. Went back to my GP this morning and demanded they take a look so have now been sent up the hospital to be monitored overnight...so stressed its unbelievable.

Oh gosh, you poor thing Hopefully they will monitor your little man and start taking you seriously.

You must be totally fed up and so worried

 

[JadeyB]

Stupid dr - grrrrrr!

It sounds to me like it wasnt because the monitor went off that you were worried it was because ur LO didn't seem right when you did go to him!

Always trust your instinct hon. Pleased he is getting monitored, hope everything is alright. Xx