Floppy and unresponsive baby

[Northernsoul90]

Today 9 month old DD has had a really strange and scary episode, she had been totally fine all day. Usual bottles and solids, wet and dirty nappies, usual naps and has been bright and happy in herself.

About an hour after her afternoon nap I took her from DHs lap, where she had been happily playing, and placed on her the floor with her toys. She toppled over to her side but didn’t bang her head or seem to hurt herself, I sat her back up and a minute or two later she started crying so I picked her up. At this point she started to go very lethargic - really suddenly. She would rest her head on my chest and was closing her eyes as if falling asleep. I passed her to DH and had a proper look at her she was really pale and going floppy she couldn’t sit up and wasn’t bearing weight on her legs. She just wanted to lie on us acting almost faint or exhausted and kept closing her eyes. She wasn’t responding to us saying her name and was just lethargic. I called an ambulance, the paramedics came at which point she started to perk up after crying at seeing them.

All her obs normal, currently in hospital under obs. Everything seems fine blood sugar, heart rate, oxygen level. She has eaten solids and had bottle after this episode which lasted about 10-15 minutes in total. She is currently asleep but prior to falling asleep seemed back to her usual self. I’m just really confused and obviously worried about what happened the only thing I can think is the heat? Has anyone had any similar experience? I did think could it be some kind of seizure although she wasn’t fitting at all and no eye rolling or anything. TIA sorry for the ramble of a post

Didn’t want to read and run. Just go with your gut. I hope she gets better super quick
but if you feel she’s relapsing take her straight back to hospital x

Thank you, we are currently still here probably will be here until morning at least but yes will keep a close eye. I really hope it doesn’t happen again x

The thing that came to mind was an absence seizure - see www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/symptoms/

Glad she's in hospital so she can be monitored.

Hopefully it doesn’t happen again but if it does and it’s safe to do so (ie if one of you is holding her / keeping her safe and there’s another person there with you), perhaps try videoing her while it happens so you can show the doctors exactly what happens and what she is like - especially if it is something that lasts only a short time and is over before paramedics arrive? Just an idea. Hopefully it’s a one off and nothing to worry about though.

My first thought was absent seizure too

Doesn't really fit with a classical absence seizure. Was she hot at the time? You did the right thing to call 999, so she could be checked out properly.

Was it very warm? Febrile seizure?

start of a febrile seizure? Sounds similar to what our 2yr old was like an hour or so before a febrile seizure due to an infection of some kind and a really hot day.

My son had early onset febrile and absence seizures from 9 months. First episode was triggered by mild viral illness, but the seizures escalating in infancy and started happening without illness. He was diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy at 5, but he had a developmental type that he recovered from by age 7. He was on anti-convulsants during early childhood. His early symptoms sound like your baby. It is impossible to diagnose over the internet, but if you have on-going concerns ask your GP for a paediatric referral. It took several hospital admissions and lots of tests before my child got the treatment he needed. You have to push if you have concerns.

Did you move her quickly from lap to floor and the. Back on your lap again?
I get really bad motion sickness and have had episodes where I faint, pass out.
ive also passed out when I have stood up to quickly in the heat.
just wondering if it could be anything like this.

Did she hold her breath before she started to cry? My 18 month old is a breath holder when starting to cry sometimes and this is exactly how he is after an episode.
you’re in the best place though. These children love to scare us

Ask them to do an ECG.

Thank you all for replies and sharing your experiences - ECG has been done and came back normal as did bloods. She has been her normal self whilst here just grumpy and over tired! The doctor said she didn’t feel it was a seizure but they can’t really give me any ideas as to what it could have been. I am going to obviously monitor and keep a close eye, if anything like this occurs again will bring back to hospital and push for referral. I will look into absence seizures further also… really hoping it was just a one off occurrence

Granted I was a teenager so different compared to when to as a baby but I suffer absence seizures when my epilepsy was uncontrolled, I use to have very brief periods (as in seconds) when I was unconscious / black out and I would have mild jerking in my arms.

My cousin also had absence seizures but luckily for him he grew out of it when he was a child. On the positive side chidren are more likely to grow out of absence seizures than say the grand mals which people mostly associate with epilepsy.

I would ask about the possibility of having an EEG, which measures the brainwaves.

Def not saying its epilepsy though, it could just be a one off, or something else. good luck!!

One of my DDs did this too as a baby and toddler when she was extremely upset. She's had a few anoxic seizures too from the shock of fairly minor trips and falls. She still has moments when she's really upset now where she has to be reminded to breath as she is unknowingly holding it in a silent scream (she's 6yo now, so can understand better and consciously put the effort in).
How was she in that 1-2 mins between the fall and starting to cry?

Thank you@PersianStar @FlatWhiteLover I can’t really remember she fell a little sat up and then started sort of whinging, she is cutting a tooth atm so not unusual for that time of day but then this escalated to the crying once she couldn’t be distracted by toys. That’s when I picked her up and the ‘episode’ seemed to start.

Just to update - yesterday I was told by junior doctor that the ECG looked fine (at the time of taking it which I took to mean all was okay) however later the registrar told me that some of the impulses were measuring slightly shorter than they should be. Her heart rate itself was fine during her time on the monitor. She is now on a 24 hour ECG to assess things, have had no more episodes since yesterday and is her usual self. I’m really hoping the 24 hour ECG comes back fine - in a bit of a panic. The consultant said it could be totally unrelated but obviously went to check and rule things out but I can’t help tying myself in knots with worry.