The day began as always, Daddy says his "goodbyes" and it is time to feed the kids. Kodie, 7 mos. today to be exact, had finished her breakfast and was a little fussy. After rocking her a little she started getting sleepy so I laid her down in the little crib for her to nap while I retrieved her pillow for her little head. One second and Kiara who is 6 years old and staying with me while school is out started screaming "Mawmaw, Kodie isn't breathing!" How I got turned around and picked her up I don't know, she had turned purple and would not respond to me whatsoever... tears flowing, my heart pounding as I tried to get her to move something - oh my God she was limp as a dishcloth. Grabbing the phone I called her Daddy and told him what was going on - he never hesitated to ask questions as he broke down in tears. All he could say was "oh Mama, what's wrong? I'll be there in a few minutes." Running through the house to go out back where Pawpaw was working, she looked up at me. Gosh it felt like all this happened in hours and in reality it was just a few seconds, "Kodie", I cried as she finally came back to me, she looked like a ghost, white and still. Calling her Daddy I assured him she was okay and looking around some. I felt as if I were running in quicksand and my feet wouldn't move - how in the world is this happening, how am I going to face my son and his wife if something worse happened? So many things went through my mind as I paniced and worried so. Sitting on the couch with Kodie and Kiara she smiled and smacked my hand playing with my rings, "oh Kodie you are ok!" as I hugged held to my chest. My son arrived and after a few minutes of hugs, reliefs and assuring all is well, his wife calls and says to meet her at the doctor to have him check Kodie out. He finally sends her to the local hospital and has an EKG ran on her. Finding out later her Mom did this a lot as a child. Those little crying spells and I mean they are something and pitiful! She is fine, my son called a while ago checking on me - this is my lesson, this added ten years to my life today and I will hold her more and never leave her side!
(The dates on pictures are wrong - of course I'm a day late!)
Kodie playing with her ducky!
Kiara
Silly Kodie
My Little Kodie What to do when your child holds its breath:
Breath-holding usually happens when babies or children:
• are crying
• are frightened or upset
• have had a minor accident and have gone into shock.
These children will cry, then catch their breath and ‘hold’ it without breathing. This is not done on purpose – even if it seems that children are holding their breath as part of an extreme tantrum.
Scary as they are, breath-holding spells usually end within 30-60 seconds, when children catch their breath and start to cry or scream. In some cases, children will hold their breath until they lose conciousness. When this happens, the body automatically kick-starts breathing again.
Some cases of breath-holding are associated with iron deficiency anaemia. Your GP can do a simple blood test to determine whether this is a likely cause.
Children as young as six months can have breath-holding spells. Around 90% of children stop doing it by the time they’re six. The spells can happen as often as several times a day, or as rarely as once a year.
Breath-holding does not cause long-term damage. There’s no evidence that it has any harmful effects on the brain.
What to do when children hold their breath
Follow these tips to help children through breath-holding spells.
• Stay calm. The spell is likely to pass within a minute.
• Lay child on the side and watch over until the spell ends.
• Do not put anything in the child’s mouth, not even your fingers to clear the airway. If the child starts having jerky movements, you can hold the child’s head, arms or legs to prevent injury.
• Don’t shake the baby or child. This won’t stop the breath-holding and can cause injuries.
• Reassure other children or adults present that it is a harmless spell and will pass soon.
• Sometimes children might fall and hurt themselves during the spell. If you think this has happened, it’s best to check with a doctor.
When to see a doctor
Most parents want to have their child checked when breath-holding occurs the first time. In particular, consult a doctor if your child:
• is younger than six months
• has frequent attacks (more than once a week). Ask whether anaemia might be a cause. If it is, ask about the possibility of using iron supplements
• looks confused or drowsy after the breath-holding
• has shaking and stiffness lasting for much longer than a minute, and takes a while to recover. This might not be simple breath-holding.
Preventing breath-holding
You can’t prevent breath-holding, but you might be able to prevent the events leading up to it.
• When children start to get upset, try to distract them.
• Reassure children after they’ve had a fright or a shock.
• Give children plenty of warning if you need to make a change to a different or new activity or situation. This means they won’t get too much of a fright when things change.
• Learn more about managing tantrums. You might be tempted to give in to your child during a tantrum, because you are worried the tantrum will cause breath-holding. But giving in to tantrums often causes more tantrums.
The two types of breath-holding
Cyanotic breath-holding (or ‘blue spells’) is the most common type of breath-holding. Children who are affected:
• are crying or upset
• catch and hold their breath and then turn a bluey-purple colour, particularly around the mouth.
Pallid or pale breath-holding (or ‘pale spells’) is less common than cyanotic. Children:
• might not be crying
• catch and hold their breath – their heart rate slows down and their skin can look pale
• sweat and are tired when the spell is over
• who have these spells might also faint as adolescents or adults.
During both types of breath-holding, some children pass out and once they do their breathing kick-starts again. Some children have jerky movements or a seizure, but this is very rare.
