Breath holding 10 month old.....

[Montifer]

Can anyone offer advice / reassurance re what I think is 10 month old DS 's 'breath holding' episodes.
The 1 st was last week when he toppled from sitting face 1st onto a tiled floor and landed on his top lip. He let out one loud wail and then didn't take the next breath in for what seemed like forever but was probably about 10-15 secs. He went quite rigid and pale / grey and eyes rolled back. This was followed by crying and he went quite clammy but was quickly cheered up with bf and cuddles. I presumed it was the shock and pain as he had a small cut on his lip.
Today he toppled again but this time rolled gently onto his tummy on carpet but had a similar response with eye rolling, rigid body and went very pale - again recovered quickly with bf and cuddles, he was due for a nap and slept for an hour and a half soon after.
He is otherwise a happy, healthy chap. The only time we have seen anything like this was as 3-4 month old colicky baby he would scream when having nappy changed when he wanted milk and he held his breath on a couple of occasions which in retrospect (and in light of recent events) was perhaps similar but less dramatic.
All a bit scarey (especially since I googled and have read about epilepsy, Anoxic Reflex Seizures and pallid breath holding spells).
I plan to check this out with GP next week but would appreciate any advice in the meantime.
TIA

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Sorry I have no experience of this (just didn't want you thread unanswered), I suggest you go to your GP.

it does sound similar to what my dd1 did, which also started at the same age, when she banged her head on a tiled floor, stopped breathing (I don't call it breath holding because she didn't hold her breath, she stopped breathing, very big difference).

A couple of months later she went on to have a similar episode but remained unconscious for a lot longer, and fitted. We took her to hospital where they did an ECG (heart trace), EEG (brain), and all was normal. We later found out it was reflex anoxic seizures.

She five years old now, very healthy, and it's been a year since her last episode.

If I were you, I would ask the GP for a paediatrician referral.

It probably was shock that caused your child to 'stop' breathing, but do get it checked out.

However, it sounds perhaps more a condition responsive to a situation than a medical problem.

Children will hold their breath, for various reasons - tantrums, attention seeking, shock etc. My sister used to hold her breath until she was blue in the face from lack of oxygen. My mum used to just poke her in the tummy with a finger, and she'd have to take a breath. (not hard enough to do any damage, of course, but still a good poke lol).

If it isn't an underlying medical condition that needs monitoring, remember that nobody ever died from holding their breath, and I'm not trying to pass that off unconcernedly. A child may intentionally do it until even perhaps they pass out, but the body's natural mechanism is to start breathing on its own once the breath stops being held.

Good luck, and I hope it's something as simple as a small shock to the system

lots of children do this and I come across it sometimes at the nursery where I work
the last time was when a 4 year old fell over outside, I picked him up and he had held his breath
I just gently poked him in the tummy
did the trick
no harm done
but do get it checked if you are worried

Our ds2 (18 months) has reflex anoxic seizures. The consultant assures me they are scary but do no harm whatsoever. Mainly he does them when he hurts himself and he's already v tired. We scoop him up, blow on him, pat his back speak to him and 2 times out of 3 can snap him out of it before he goes out. If he does go out, he's always quite upet when he comes round, pale and lethargic but after a few mins of cuddling he's fine and running round again.

Don't google, pop him to the GPs and get a pead referral. They will probably want an eeg done (v gentle test, they give him some melatonin orally, he dozes off, they pop electrodes on his head and monitor him for about 20 mins).

He had his first at around 8 months and has one about every 2 weeks or so. Good new is they almost all grow out of them.

O and I agree with belgo, at this age it isn't breath holding - they aren't consciously stopping themselves breathing - its a reaction to pain/shock/high emotion - which is why medically they aren't referred to as breth holding attacks anymore (older GPs might still talk about them though

Apparently, I used to do this as a toddler, in a response to feeling overwhelmed or very upset/angry. Scared the life out of my mum, but she was reassured by her GP (that was about 39 years ago, mind you!).

Good luck at the doctor's

My son used to to that until his lips went blue. All the manuals I read seemed to suggest that even if they do until they faint it isn't dangerous as they will start to breathe again when they faint. My son usually inhaled again after what seemed like an age. I don't know if this has contributed to him being able to hold his breath voluntarily now (age 15) for over a minute (whilst diving, for bets etc...) but he has lungs of steel.