I can hold my breath till I pass out

and hit my head, go blue round the lips and my eyes roll in the back of my head.

I do this when I am crying hard and I just need that little bit extra drama. Mum thinks I am drawing in my breath for another good wail, or have stopped, as the crying stops for ages. She knew that wasn't so when I fainted and hit my head onthe floor today (I had my back to her, she couldn't see).

I did the eye roll/blue lip/limp and mum thinks I have died one in her arms today at playcentre when she had the nerve to put me down to pull up her escaping undies and thought I was happily playing in the bark for a bit while she helped the ladies. I cried hard, so she picked me up, and I did my trick.

I've been doing it quite a bit now, the stop breathing part, and mum has been shaking me and yelling breathe breathe and that shakes me out of it. I go all limp and quiet and cuddly after that, but I have just added in the blue lips/passingout thing over the last few days as I don't think I have her on her toes enough.

mum wants to know if I will actually die, is there something wrong with me and how on earth can she stop me doing it? I've frightened her alot.

Love, Charly.

Hmmm sounds very scary! Ashleigh has only ever done the stop breathing thing in hospital and luckily there was always lots of nurses and oxygen etc around! The only thing I have heard of is to blow in their face as it makes them take a breath. I guess this would have to be before the pass out stage though

yeah get her check out if your worried big big hugs

What Charly is doing is having a breath-holding spell. They're not harmful, but they are scary as anything to witness.

Breath-holding spells occur when a child gets upset about something, frustrated, or angry. They cry once or twice, usually with some indignation and intensity, then as the sound of the cry dies out, they don't take another breath to cry again -- their lips and sometimes face turns blue and they can pass out. They usually go limp in your arms but wake up fairly quickly, within a minute, and may be quiet and subdued afterward.

Breath-holding spells are harmless, but scary for the people around the child having one because it does look like something very serious is going on. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do when one occurs is to make sure your child isn't in danger of hitting their head when they pass out, and wait for the spell to be over. 

Breath-holding spells have been linked to anaemia (low iron levels) in some children, although this is not thought to be a cause-and-effect situation -- research has just found that children who have low iron levels are more prone to having breath-holding attacks.

If you're worried, by all means take Charly in to get her checked out by the doctor, and ask for an iron level test. The best thing you can do is keep an eye on her and see if the outcome of the spell changes (meaning, does she twitch or jerk when she goes limp, or does her body go stiff, or does she take a long time to wake up and get back to normal, or does she start having the spells very often). Most kids outgrow the spells by the time they're four or five, but they do lessen significantly as they get older. They're usually worst between six months and 18 months of age.

Emma Rose has done this since she was around six months old, and still does it occasionally. Usually if I blow quite hard in her face it will cause her to catch her breath, so that's something to try.

lol so did i kelly!

My older sister used to do this a fair amount - turns out her windpipe was a little narrower, so when she went to take in a great big breath like they do when they cry she couldn't get in that air she needed and she'd black out.

I'd get her checked if she's doing it regularly. It's not usually too much of a 'trick' - although mum swears my big sis knew it would happen if she cried so got to the point she'd threaten to cry to get her own way.

Thaks Dr Liz, lol. And thanks for all your info ladies, especially Katherine. Interesting, the iron thing, actually, as I have real real trouble getting her to have meat at all, and plunket on monday told me to start her on an iron suppliment asap, and being the mother of the year, I haven't made it to the chemist yet. I will be making an appt at the Dr, though, just to make myself feel better, although instinct tells me it's "just a phase", albiet, a scary as all hell one!! Blinking girls!!! this is just the beginning of a lifetime of drama, I'm sure!!!

Edited by fattartsrock

Geez that would scare me silly!

Hope the doctors can help, if not actully stopping her, at least giving you ways of managing/coping with it.

Ella has done this to us quite a few times as well. Very, very scary to watch, but not dangerous apparently as generally once they pass out the body takes over and they start breathing again immediately.
My sister and cousin both used to do it too and my mum gave me some good advice. When you see them drawing in a big breath, like they're about to do a big scream, blow in their face.
A quick sharp breath startles them and makes them take a breath.
Works pretty well for Ella!

Hope the Dr can put your mind at ease!

cool. I will try that.

Oh Astin does the hold the breath, go blue and pass out thing!!!!!!! He does it when hes not happy over something!! at first it scared the crap out of me!! and i would shake him like mad!! but now i just blow in his face and he gasps for hair