Does anyone's child have blue breath-holding spells?

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

Earlier tonight, 13mo DS was crying and suddenly stopped breathing. It was really scary. His mouth area went all blue, his eyes rolled back and he went all floppy. Naturally, I thought he was choking and tried to whack him on the back.

He started breathing again and was a bit clingy but otherwise fine. He had his bath and milk, and is in bed, fussing on and off but okay. However, NHS website says the first time a chils has an episide like this, they should see a GP so we have rung 111 and waiting a callback. I am hoping they say it can wait till tomorrow so I don't have to drag him out.

Has anyone else had this? Did it occur again? Is it associated with cot death? Bit worried now he is in bed on his own and wondering if I should take him into bed with us tonight.

Oh how scary OP! It sounds like a seizure...many children have seizures and sometimes, for no reason that can be found.

The NHS site says "Febrile seizures" can happen when a child has a fever...here's a link

www.nhs.uk/conditions/febrile-seizures/

Thanks Henny.

He doesn't have a fever so I think it's more likely to be a blue breath holding spell?

I cared for a child who did this when working in a nursery. it was shocking the first time it happened but OK once we got used to it.

He used to cry, stop, collapse, go blue, bend backwards in our arms (we were always holding him by then) then gradually come round and be completely exhausted for quite a while.

IIRC it's something to do with a reflex and you just have to wait for them to outgrow it.

I just googled that and I think you're right...the fact that he was crying makes sense doesn't it? Children are wonderful but goodness...aren't they absolutely terrifying!?

My daughter used to do this - it's horrible and really scary. I told her Paediatrician who said to blow in her face which helped! She eventually grew out of it but I'll never forget when she did it on the bus and I panicked.

My nephew had this. He's a strapping 19yo lad now. However, go to your Gp to get it checked out and proper medical advice.
In the meantime if dc does it again blow in their face.
Best wishes

my twin sisters both did this when they were little..usually didn't last too long but on one occasion an ambulance was called, breath holder and parents leapt into ambulance, shot off, and then realised they'd left me and other twin (all under 4) at home....

They grew out of it but I know it freaked my mom out - sorry you've had a scary experience.

My DD has these fairly regularly from the age of around 2 until 4. It would happen more if extremely tired, and would always be when she’s very upset, so for example if she fell over and hurt herself, she’d start crying, and the breath holding spell would come on. She would wet herself during each episode also.

We did take her to GP a couple of times, as we were very worried, but was reassured she was physically fine and would grow out of it. Thankfully she hasn’t had one for a year or so now (she’s now 5).

You have my sympathy, it’s awful to see. You do kind of get used to them though if they are regular.

I’ve never heard of it being associated with cot death no. Also it ‘may’ be a one off, they don’t always become a regular occurance.

Dd now 12 did this when she was little. First time was when I wouldn't let her play with a plug at a relatives house. She was screaming then just went blue and flopped. Came round immediately and I didn't really realise what had happened. Did it a lot after that and health visitor told me to blow in her face or distract her before she got to that stage. Flicking water worked too as it shocked her out of it. It's scary but doctors assured me she'd come to no long term harm and it scared me more than her!

Firstly definitely get the medical help that you are planning.

But yes, my child did that and it was terrifying. It only happened once - he slipped and hit a bump and was absolutely howling crying when it occurred. He was out for quite a while, (maybe longer than yours, by the sound of it) so obviously we called emergency services as he wasn’t breathing and an ambulance came. He was taken to the emergency department and observed for about 8 hours there before they decided it was most likely breath holding and they didn’t recommend further investigation. (Next step would have been a CAT scan if they thought it a neurological issue and those come with their own risks so in balance they left it there).

Good news was it never happened again. We were told by the 999 operator and again by the doctors what you need to do if you suspect it is breath holding is to startle him into breathing again. So firstly check pulse and check airway is clear and he isn’t choking. Then in order of ascension - blow hard right in his face. Run your knuckles quite hard up and down his breast bone. Pinch quite hard on his finger tips. It all sounds quite forceful and obviously you don’t do it strong enough to cause injury but you need to be relatively forceful.

For us, any time he was having a huge panicky cry after that, we’d rush to him immediately and remind him to breathe and start blowing in his face right away. Thankfully he never blacked out again. We had to leave the same instructions with any babysitter or nursery we used.

I hope it is a once/off also for your child. And once you are reassured by his doctors, remember to take a little time to care for yourself also. It’s an awful shock to see your child blue and not breathing. I was emotionally very fragile when it all hit me a few days later.

Hope it’s nothing serious and he makes a full recovery.

Oh and no association with cot death was mentioned to us. 13 months is long past the highest risk time for that. We did sleep on a mattress beside his cot for the first night or two and checked he was breathing regularly but that was probably as much for our own reassurance as anything else.

Thanks all.

Interesting about the blowing in the face - I actually do this already! Never been told to, just do.

Basically, he is a right old drama queen generally - when anyone he knows comes to visit he does a huge fake start of surprise when he sees them and he is always doing stuff like pretending to drop his dinner on the floor to get a reaction, then putting it back down and grinning. He also screams blue murder at anything but stops the minute he's picked up. So we tend to laugh at him gently and say "oh DS, is it the end of the world?!" Etc. He often cries so hard he is almost looking like he's not going to breathe again.

Until tonight, when he actually didn't

I feel like I want to take him into our bed tonight. He sometimes comes in for comfort. I have to go to work tomorrow and I don't want to leave him even though it is with DH (sahd) and DMIL.

DS1 did this. Only if hurt- say if he fell and hurt himself he’d take a deep breath as if he was going to start screaming but didn’t. He held his breath and passed out. Did it a fair bit. Including an ambulance trip once. But doctors were totally unconcerned
Good luck OP. Sure it’ll all be ok but it’s terrifying

Look up 'Reflex Anoxic Seizures' my dd has these, exactly as you describe. She has a few between about 6-12 months and then grew out of it thankfully. Scary as hell.

*had

www.nhs.uk/conditions/breath-holding-spells-in-children/

My daughter used to do this I actually posted on another thread about it earlier.

First time she done it she was about 6 months old and it was the scariest thing ever. As she got older it would happen about once a week, each time with me panicking, shouting and slapping her back until I posted on here and got the advice to blow on her face. I always done that afterwards and it brought her round straight away.

I took her to the GP a couple of times who insisted she was holding her breath for attention (she was under 1 years old at the time) and referred me to a paediatrician. I was concerned she had Reflex Annoxic Syndrome. Paed also not concerned and told me she's holding her breath.

I can say 100% certain she was not holding her breath, she would cry so hard that no sound would come out and then she'd go purple and floppy her eyes would roll and she'd make this gurgling groany sound. She was not holding her breath, in my opinion she was passing out.

Your situation sounds almost identical to mine I was at the end of my tether as I think everyone thought I was exaggerating (I'm a worrier) but I was really scared everytime it happened. I'd say 99% of the time it happened was just before bedtime when she was really tired and something as simple as changing her nappy could trigger it.

She's almost 2 now and I can't remember the last time she had an episode, I'd say around late Summer time. I still get a bit worried whenever she cries hard and will blow on her face but I do think she's grown out of it. I'm sure your son will too. The more it happens the easier it gets to spot when it's about to happen so blow on his face as soon as you can see him getting himself worked up and that should prevent it getting to the roll eye floppy stage.

As WeShouldBeFriends says Reflex Annoxic Seizures, I got the name wrong.

DS, now 4, used to do this. It worried me but DH was always very calm and said he might pass out but then he’ll start to breathe again and he’ll be fine. I eventually got used to it. It worried the workers at nursery until they got used to it. He hasn’t had one for a while now and I would say was worst during the ‘terrible two’s’. Interesting link to the NHS website - DS is and has been since 18 months iron deficient anaemic.

Another here to say RAS.
Can be caused by a shock, as in a loud noise, or through pain.
My dd had them. I was very laid back about them, it was only when my dm witnessed one that I saw a GP.
She had her last one at 4 years of age.

Thanks, I had seen the NHS page. Yeah I think it probably is that.

Somehow my phone didn't accept the incoming call from the 111 doc bastard Samsung!! So I missed them and hope they will ring back.......

Yes loud noises used to trigger it as well. I'm convinced it was RAS she had but all the medics insisted she doesn't.

Yeah I had seen about the anaemia but the odd thing is, as he was premie he has been on daily iron supplements since birth so doubt it is that. Unless the supplements are somehow not working?

I used to do this as a child. My DM told me. I did it many many times. First time I was kept in hospital overnight for observation as I passed out but after that my DM just managed it. My DD also did it when she was a toddler but I knew what it was due to my history.

TiredTodayZzzz Refle Anoxic Seizeures are often referred to as breath holding episodes, it doesn't mean they are intentionally holding their breath.