Screams so much he can't breathe

[scgd]

Add message | Report | Message poster  scgd Mon 18-Oct-10 21:48:32
Hi guys when I change my almost 8 week old baby boys nappy he screams so much his face goes a deep shade of red and he holds onto the scream until he can't breathe. Usually I have to gently blow into his face to make him take a breath and afterwards he goes very pale and lethargic and then almost flops with exhaustion in my arms. This is my first baby and I find this very distressing we don't have our 8 week check until next week. Is this normal or is there anything o should be doing instead when he does this?
TIA

[thisisyesterday]

babies do this sometimes. so it's within the realms of normal, tho very scary!

have you tried altering how/where you change him?

[YummyMummy1208]

our little boy whos 2.5 has been doing this from a similar age and the first time it happened we called the ambulance we were so worried! Its a horrible thing to have to witness, and from the very first one he had i have to say they tend to have gotten slightly worse every month or so, we would get used to running to the sink to splash water on his face (tip from health carer) but then he would shock us by holding his breath for a good 10 or 15 seconds longer than the last time, he now does it so bad sometimes that he starts to almost fit onces hes taken his breath - his body starts spasming (cant spell!) and his mouth almost seems as though he will start frothing but then he comes around.

Aparently this is deemed as 'safe' and normal and something they will grow out of. Key is to distract them before they go into it but it cant always be done. I totally feel for you though as its so scary to watch, just hope your little one grows out of it faster than mine!

[sarahscot]

That sounds terrifying! I remember a friend of my mum's going through this a few years ago. She was told to try and ignore it, give it no attention etc. How you could keep calm and ignore it I don;t know. I hope he grows out of it soon.

[SonicMiddleAge]

It is in the realms of normal, but I would ask to see a doctor before your check up anyway. Dd1 did this very regularly (at least weekly at times) from a few months old till she was about 3. Only tips that we found worked once the breathholding starts, before they loose it completely, blow sharply in their face, it causes them to breath in and stops the passing out, and you avoid the fit. We found they tend to happen more often when tired, and the epsiodes themselves seem to be very exhausting for them, so they can come in clusters. Also the passing out seems quite detressing for the child so make sure you cuddle after, keep them prone while passing out to aid blood return to the head. On medical factors, you will want to rule out epilepsy, and also we were told anemia can be a contributing factor, so ask to get theat checked too. Hope this helps.