What should I do if my baby cries and holds his breath?

I became a mother a few months ago. As a first-time mother, I was not very clear about some of the baby’s conditions. I was flustered and anxious. For example, my baby held his breath while crying, which scared me so much that I started crying too. I rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment at night. Later, the doctor said that this situation was normal, and I felt relieved. I believe that many mothers are anxious when encountering this situation like I did before, and don’t quite understand the situation. Now let me explain it to you.

When a child cries and suddenly holds his breath, it is medically called "breath-holding syndrome" or "apnea", commonly known as "big breath holding". It is a common paroxysmal neurosis in infancy and childhood. It usually occurs within 2 years of age and the frequency varies. Breath-holding attack in children is a phenomenon caused by the baby being stimulated by emotional stimulation, unmet demands, and physical factors such as pain.

At first the baby will cry, and then hold his breath and pause breathing due to hyperventilation. Because there is no oxygen inhalation, carbon dioxide accumulates in the body, and the baby's lips turn from red to blue and finally to purple. At the same time, the limbs become rigid and some babies even experience twitching of their limbs. The whole process may last from a dozen seconds to 2-3 minutes. Then breathing begins again, muscles throughout the body relax, and the body's composure gradually recovers. Children's brain nerve tissue is not fully developed, and the central nervous function is unstable. Therefore, when a child cries, throws a tantrum or is frightened, the cerebral cortex is temporarily highly excited, and the central control of the cortex will temporarily fail, causing the central nervous function to become disordered, thus producing the above symptoms.

This kind of situation is related to the child's temperament type and personality characteristics. But this is not absolute. Some children are usually lively and cheerful, and not introverted or narrow-minded, but they may also have such attacks. The specific reasons have not been clearly verified medically. Some children are good in everything except that they become like this whenever they cry. Fortunately, this only occurs in childhood and usually stops happening after adolescence and improves as they grow up.

When encountering such situations, parents should understand that their children have such reactions and be more roundabout in everything, trying not to expose their children to strong stimulation. However, they should also grasp the principles and limits, and not let the baby become a magic weapon to threaten adults. If the child "can hold his breath for a long time, and in the worst case, his mouth and face turned purple", the situation is quite serious. Pick him up immediately, shake his body up and down, and pat his back hard to let him exhale as soon as possible. Otherwise, there are cases where the child may go into shock.

The above is the editor’s explanation. I believe everyone has a certain understanding of the situation of babies crying and holding their breath. Although it is normal for babies to cry and hold their breath, parents need to be careful and patient. If the baby has other discomforts, parents should ask or seek medical attention in time. Finally, the editor wishes all babies can grow up healthy and happy.