Help me mamas! I have a 5 week old baby girl who is totally freaking me out. She stops breathing A LOT. Mostly when she's eating (nursing and from a bottle), she'll get choked up and just stop breathing for maybe 10 seconds and then start back up again. She has also done it when she's been crying and gotten really mad, she just stops breathing, then starts up again. It scares the heck out of me every time. My 2-year old never did this so I'm wondering...is this normal???
Dr. checked her out and found nothing wrong, said as long as she didn't need to be revived and started back up on her own, it was nothing to worry about, just an inexperienced respiratory system. He said she'd out-grow it. She's now 16 weeks and I can't remember the last time she did it. I guess some babies just take longer to catch on to the breating thing. =)
Call your doctor! My daughter would hold her breath when she cried, but she never stopped breathing. That would scare the crud out of me!
Tell your pediatrician, and maybe invest in infant CPR training. My daughter did something similar. When she did not have her pacifier she seemed to get confused over whether to breathe through her nose or her mouth. She would make that high pitched gasping sound, but when I put in her pacifier she would automatically breathe through her nose and stop gasping. Our doctor told us to keep a close eye on her. She is 15 weeks now and we don't have that problem anymore.
Take baby to doctors ASAP It may be nothing more than sleep apnea, but it could be a warning signof something more serious. i have an asthmatic child who did the same thing --
Best thing - call your Doctor!
I would certainly talk to the pediatrician. All babies have the breathe, suck, swallow coordination. She might just be having some trouble with that since she is still very little. You may have a fast let-down and it's hard for her to keep up. Check out kellymom.com for some advice to help with that. Also, when using a bottle make sure you are using a slow-flow nipple.
I would have her checked out just the same to make sure everything is fine.
One of my 4 did this. She nearly drove me crazy. She is now 3. No this is not normal but is ok. Yes it still warrants a call to the Doctors office. Essentially it is apnea and apnea is never good. In our cause it was maturity issue which is common with preterm/ low birth weight babies. They simply forget to breath. I know, I know breathing is a reflex, so is sucking though and some are simply born without it. She should out grow it with in the next 2-3 weeks, and yes your heart will stop every time, even after talking to your Dr. about it.
Call the doctor, but try not to panic. My second child did this (not for quite as long between breaths though). One pedi blew me off at the 2 week visit when I told him the baby wasn't breathing right. I switched doctors obviously. He would stop breathing for a couple of seconds, usually toward the end of a feeding when he was getting full and sleepy. At 2 months, the new pedi suggested an EKG to check his heart. That test is quick, not invasive and not painful, but would tell us if there were something really scary going on. EKG was normal, and the doctor told me to be alert for signs of asthma (and gave me a list of what those signs might be). My son was 8lbs 8oz at full term birth, so this was not a preemie thing. Now at age 7, he has seasonal allergies, but no asthma. He has a mild heart murmur, but an echo showed nothing structurally wrong with his heart.
You could take your baby to a pediatric chiropractor to see if that might help. Mine is awesome, but really far from you. Maybe someone knows one closer? Melissa Shelton in Frisco sees me and my 3 kids regularly. If bones are slightly out of alignment in her spine they could be rubbing against the nerves which go to her lungs...making her lungs function at less than 100%. That's the theory behind why I think a chiropractor might be able to help your baby. Many insurance plans cover chiropractic care.
If that isn't an option for you, you could try cranio sacral massage therapy. www.kenpiercy.com It's extremely gentle, and safe for preemies in the NICU all the way to the elderly. My youngest had a cranio massage at 4 days old just to make sure he felt as good as possible. I know I was desperate for a massage after giving birth! It's not so easy on the baby either.
Good luck,
S.
SAHM of 3
Please call the pediatrician and talk to him/her!!! Your baby could have something going on or it could be nothing. They are the experts...call him to be safe! I do hope it's nothing. I'd be scared to death too!!
Oh that sounds so scary. I would call the doctor right away. I hope everything is okay with your little one.
I'm with those who urge you to contact the pediatrician immediately!
No, this isn't normal. We've all had occasions where our child appears to have choked while nursing, but I've never had a baby stop breathing. It may be the sign of something serious, and I'd personally not wait to get it assessed.
Best wishes - please keep us posted on her situation!
When you go to your pediatrician, see if you can reproduce a nursing incident for the Dr. to watch; also go with a log of dates and times during which these events happen.
Doesn't sound normal. Please call your baby's doctor today! I'm afraid none of us can tell you for sure what is going on. It may be nothing, but you surely would rather be safe than sorry!
Well, I don't know if that's normal. It doesn't sound normal, but I"m not a doctor. One thing I DO know, you should trust your gut. I would definitely talk to your doctor about sleep apnea. It is believed that SIDS is a form of sleep apnea, I think, and monitors are available for babies so that if the baby stops breathing for more than a few seconds it will go off.
I certainly don't want to sound alarming, but this definitely warrants some questions for your pediatrician.
Good Luck!
