Newborn going blue and stiff for a couple of minutes after a feed - what could this be?

[emkana]

This is a friend's baby. They've done heart and brain tests (inconclusive) and he's being treated for reflux but he still has these episodes about once a day. Does anybody have any experience of this?

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IIRC, this can be a result of the reflexes going overtime rather then anything sinister. They do tend to grow out of it but I'm sure someone else on here knows more then me.

Does he just come out of it by himself? Could it be sleep apnoea (sp?) or a form of epilepsy?

Epilepsy is very difficult to test for but some seizures can be in the form of breath holding- though I've never heard of it in a newborn...

It happens straight after a feed when he's awake, and it passes and then he goes really really quiet and then he falls asleep exhausted.

it started when he was about a week old

think it is due to the reflux which can either cause a bit of choking/throat blockage due to milk,or pain and a sort of faintness.

He'd fall asleep after a feed anyway. It would be incredibly unusual for it to be epilepsy at this age, the scans etc would pick this up. Reflex problem does sound more likely though, it's an immaturity rather then anything else. I'm not a paediatrician/doctor though.

Thank you, that's quite reassuring