8 month old breath holding-stopped breathing

amother

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 7:35 pm

My 8 month old has done this twice one, both times he hurt himself. The first to,she just passed out but this time he passed out but this eyes were open, I was blowing him and help my arm on his chest but he was not breathing. I was shouting to call hatzalah but by the time someone started dialing he started breathing again. He was ok after that just very pale.
I am so worried about him being by his babysitter, can it ever be serious or do the always come round on their own?

amother

Beige

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 7:58 pm

Take your baby to the doctor and don't leave by the babysitter if you think it might be causing it. I don't think an 8 month old can hold his breath on purpose to stop breathing and start again, he's probably having trouble breathing, maybe asthma, who knows

sevengirl

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 8:21 pm

I used to do this. My parents took me to the ped Bc it gave them heart attacks
I believe I am a functioning adult.
My parents found it helpful to blow on my face

amother

Tangerine

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 8:27 pm

amother [ Beige ] wrote:

Sure, a baby can do that. There are babies that unintentionally hold their breath when they get upset/cry, some to the extent that they turn blue/pass out. The good news is that they should outgrow it. However, it is very scary when it happens.

amother

Linen

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 8:45 pm

Breathe holding becuase if hysterical crying?

My son does it.
It's a manipultation tactic. Very age appropriate for babies that age. (Even for older kids. Lol) If I don't give him whatever he wants (like a lolipop he saw. Lol) he'll cry so hysterically and hold his breathe till he passes out.

First off, they always come to. No need to get hystercial. It'll only make it into a habit. They feed off of your hysteria!! (Accirding to ped. And I see it being true)
2nd, when they are little, gently blowing in their face helps. When a gentle blow doesn't work a forcefull wouldn't help either... So no need to blow away. Lol.
When they get older and blowing doesnt help anymore, holding them upside down instantly works like magic.

If you choose to let them cry it out, make sure he can't fall/hurt himself. Usually when they come to they forget what they were crying about.

amother

Burgundy

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 8:51 pm

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

It's a reflex, not a manipulation. They have no control over it.

Lay flat on the ground. It's harmless but terrifying.

amother

Linen

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 8:56 pm

amother [ Burgundy ] wrote:

It's a reflex, not a manipulation. They have no control over it.

Lay flat on the ground. It's harmless but terrifying.

When they get older it's usually manipulation.
My bil told mil, "if you dont give it to me, im going to cry till I pass out" cuz he knew my mil will freak. She was constantly calling hatzula.... She got hystericall every. Single. Time. That one time mil gave him a potch in his face when he was going to pass out. He never did it again.....

pause

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 9:23 pm

My DC used to do this up until age 2-2.5. Cry then stop, go limp, hold breath, roll eyes, turn blue... As scary as it is, there's nothing to do about it. They will outgrow it. My pediatrician wasn't concerned at all.

It used to happen when DC hurt themselves and/or got mad at someone who hurt them.

amother

White

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 9:44 pm

It’s scary but my dr showed my husband a trick that works every time - blow in their mouth ( not cpr style just gently) it shocks them back.
Even if they pass out, they resume breathing as a reflex. I had a brother that did it and now two kids... def they all have a very stubborn streak to them!

blessedflower

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 9:51 pm

Discuss with a kind Dr who has patient to explain what it is and what happens. The passing out is very scary but it's actually a safety mechanism of the body to protect its self. It's really really not dangerous.
It's not manipulation but it can become that so react calmly and normally so your little one shouldn't learn that this scares you and he can get his will

amother

Teal

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 9:59 pm

Many of my siblings would do this, it's scary to watch but it's not dangerous. They come too right away. Echoing others that gently blowing in the face helps.

amother

Linen

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 10:00 pm

blessedflower wrote:

Exactly.
I guess I didnt express myself right. English isnt my first language. Its hard to transelate. But I try.
W my kid, he's older. It is manipulation. As an 8 mo not. But if you dont react in the proper way, eventually it will. (Totally developmentally normal for toddlers/young kids)
My bil outright told mil. He was obviously old enough to realize what he is doing and verbalize it so well.

amother

Wine

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 10:04 pm

That's the exact age my daughter started doing it. She held her breath, turned white and passed out and then had a seizure. It only happened when she fell and hurt herself. It was not from stubbornness. We took her to a neurologist and took eegs and bh she was perfectly fine. Doctor told us to just keep her safe and try to get her to breath before she passes out. She outgrew it around age 3. She is a teen now and I can tell you she never was and still isn't stubborn at all.

FranticFrummie

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 10:37 pm

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

Thanks for clarifying. That makes much more sense.

Flicking cold water in the face words really well, too.

Of course it never hurts to take your child in for a checkup and express your worry. If nothing else, you'll have these breath holding spells recorded on your child's chart, in case CVS that should be important info some day. (Like if they fall off of a chair or something.)

amother

Ginger

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 10:40 pm

My ds had breath holding spells starting at 7 months old, usually when he got hurt. It was not manipulation. He would pass out and then start breathing again and wake up. He also had one time it took a drop longer to wake up and I called Hatzalah, but it was just once and he was fine.

I remember holding my breath as a kid and my mother yelling at me to breathe. It was not intentional. I was trying to resume breathing, but I couldn't.

bunchagirlies

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 11:27 pm

My siblings used to do this, and all 5 of my kids have done this to me. It's scary to watch, and you do have to make sure to have them in a position where they cannot injure themselves if and when they pass out. (my dd hurt her head when she fell back ) I try to lay them down on the floor in middle of a breath-holding tantrum.
It's important to stay calm and show them this doesn't scare you-otherwise it switches from instinctive to manipulative when they realize that they can purposely scare you into pleasing them!
I find that blowing into their mouth often, but not always, helps, as it makes them automatically inhale.
I found it so funny when my daughter did it in the pediatrician's office. I stayed cool and collected, and the Dr., who doesn't actually see this too often, panicked somewhat.(he's not young) He started slapping her in the face to wake her up.
But then he explained to me that once they faint, they are no longer in control of their breathing and automatically start breathing again and wake up.

amother

Saddlebrown

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 11:47 pm

Some of my kids used to do it too!
Nothing to worry about!
Just a bit nerve wracking!
(Only problem we had was when he had surgery after anesthesia...)

amother

Teal

Sun, Sep 20 2020, 11:51 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Water on the face might be dangerous because if water goes into the mouth, the child can choke chas v'shalom.