Breath holding spells (BHS)
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Topic: Breath holding spells (BHS)
Posted By: cat
Subject: Breath holding spells (BHS)
Date Posted: 23 August 2007 at 9:03am
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Does anyone else's child suffer from Breath Holding Spells?
I ended up taking Poppy into the Emergency Dept yesterday, she had a really unsettled day and everytime she cried she got into such a state that she'd stop breathing. One time she even went floppy - I was in such a state - it's the most horrible thing ever. It's typical that DH is away on a training course in Nelson at the moment. The doctors checked her over and said that they can't find anything wrong with her and that some babies do this, it's called Breath Holding Spells and it is a reflex thing that she will grow out of eventually. I found the following article which helped explain it to me - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/302203/breathholding_spells_bhs_and_your_child.html. -------------  
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Replies:
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 23 August 2007 at 11:17am
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Yup, Ella does it when she gets very worked up.
She's done it ever since she was tiny, but thankfully it has gotten less as she's got older. We had one the day before yesterday when she shut her fingers in a door. She held her breath until she passed out and came round a moment later. It is very scary to see isn't it, especially as your girl is so very tiny! My mum told me my sister used to do it too, and to make her take a breath when she saw it coming, she'd blow in her face quickly and strongly, like a big sudden puff of air. It works most of the time with Ella too. Also, thankfully when they do pass out, they immediately start breathing again. Hope this helps chicky!  ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 23 August 2007 at 2:50pm
| How scary neither of mine do but I have been told to blow on their nose when they are screaming so hard and it makes them take a big breath so that could be worth a try. |
Posted By: Katherine
Date Posted: 23 August 2007 at 3:01pm
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Emma Rose has these -- she's had them from when she was about nine months old, from memory. It's pretty scary the first few times it happens, but after that we've gotten used to it. The hardest thing is when she does pass out and go blue and floppy, but she usually wakes up straight afterwards (although she's woozy and subdued for a bit). Most kids outgrow them by the time they start school, but it's quite frightening to witness, especially for people who have never seen it happen before. Breath-holding episodes are also associated with anaemia, although there's no clear link between low iron levels and breath-holding. However, some parents have had success with feeding their children more iron-rich foods or talking with their doctors about iron supplements. Emma's been tested for anaemia and found to be low in iron, so we have to make sure she eats lots of iron-rich foods, and it seems to help -- the breath-holding doesn't happen so often any more. |