View Full Version : passing out from crying so hard
Well my little gg is not so little anymore...she took her first steps on her own today and went cheek first into a corner of a door....i felt so guilty. She screamed so hard she lost her breath and went all limp and her eyes rolled back into her head. I don't think i have ever been so scared. She only took like ten seconds to recover and wake up but it felt like an hour! Has this happened to anyone else. I know she didnt knock herself out cause i was right there when it happened and she was fine up until she couldnt stop screaming. She has a little bruise on her cheek so i have given her some neurofen and she has been happy all afternoon..... What a great day but also a terrible day all in one!
SimplyMum
03-01-2008, 08:02
Aw, how awful. I've never experienced this. There is never 'too much' crying in re to DS- he could go on for days screaming his lungs out!!!:laughing:
the_queen
03-01-2008, 08:05
Scary! :hugs:
A tip to make them breathe in is to blow in their face.
My friend's grandaughter is a passer-outer.. No idea why, it's just how she deals with pain, everytime there's a hard fall, she lets out a cry then goes limp. My friend talks to her the whole time she's crying to try to keep her awake, her daughter will blow in her face and talk to her too. No idea if it actually helps though./
:hugs: How scary :( Maybe the passing out was a reaction to the shock of hurting herself?
Congrats though on her first steps - not a good way to celebrate them though :/
KarniF00l
03-01-2008, 08:27
DS2 use to stop breathing, eyes rolling and turn blue every time he cried, from the time he was a newborn till about 2 and it was a scary thing to watch.
I took him to the doctor about it and I was told not to blow in his face because it can do more harm than good at any age, yet this is what they do in swimming lessons to get the child to hold their breath before dunking them under water :confused:
The best thing you can do is comfort her when she does this. Hold her tight and reassure her that everything is okay. DS2 use to snap out of it quicker that way.
metalhead713
03-01-2008, 09:07
My dd does this (not so much anymore and shes never been a big cryer) but when she did cry over somthing she cried good, sometimes she'd get so worked up she would sort of forget to breathe at the end of the scream iykwim? Id blow in her face to sort of shock her into taking a breath. Pretty scary but dont worry they will breathe again, its just shock (and obviously if they dont, call 000 and rescue breaths etc.)
sorry to hear about your little girls fall, i cant wait for all the tips and tumbles of dd once shes moving around:rolleyes:lol
metalhead713
03-01-2008, 09:09
DS2 use to stop breathing, eyes rolling and turn blue every time he cried, from the time he was a newborn till about 2 and it was a scary thing to watch.
I took him to the doctor about it and I was told not to blow in his face because it can do more harm than good at any age, yet this is what they do in swimming lessons to get the child to hold their breath before dunking them under water :confused:
The best thing you can do is comfort her when she does this. Hold her tight and reassure her that everything is okay. DS2 use to snap out of it quicker that way.
eh? Why would it cause harm? Surely not breathing would cause more:confused::confused:
DS has done this three times. Apparantly it occurrs in up to 27% of babies / toddlers.
The first time he did it I screamed and panicked everyone and I blew in his face but that didn't help - I just had to wait for him to finish.
I've seen three doctors about this and they all say that he's perfectly healthy. One advised me that if he does it to rub his tummy. The second time he did it, I rubbed his tummy (with a bit of pressure) and it stopped right away.
KarniF00l
03-01-2008, 09:34
eh? Why would it cause harm? Surely not breathing would cause more:confused::confused:
Don't shoot me down it is what the doctor told me. For all I know he could have been wrong but I followed my instinct every time my son did this.
Sometimes blowing into their faces can knock more of the wind out of them when going in and out of unconsciousness which makes it harder for them to catch their breathe especially when they are in a state of panic and hyperventilating. Flicking water into their face can be a better option as a natural reaction to breathe as I was told and if after a minute the child doesn't gain their breathe back and continues gasping then to call 000.
jaysmommy
03-01-2008, 09:46
This is called 'blue breath holding seizures' amongst other names, my son has Reflex Anoxic Seizures which is very similar except his is triggered by shock not crying, you should see your GP for advice and an official diagnosis but this definately sounds like it, it's not dangerous as such but downright scary and essential that people know she has it if she's in their care so you should get it checked out.
Good luck, for more info look at the thread from a while ago on Reflex Anoxic seizures in serious health issues.
metalhead713
03-01-2008, 09:48
Don't shoot me down it is what the doctor told me. For all I know he could have been wrong but I followed my instinct every time my son did this.
Sometimes blowing into their faces can knock more of the wind out of them when going in and out of unconsciousness which makes it harder for them to catch their breathe especially when they are in a state of panic and hyperventilating. Flicking water into their face can be a better option as a natural reaction to breathe as I was told and if after a minute the child doesn't gain their breathe back and continues gasping then to call 000.
its all good I wasnt shooting you down lol, it was just a question I was generally confused cause ive always been told this works and it usualy does for my dd, acctualy now that I think about it water has the opposite affect on my dd, when water gets tips on her head she instantly freaks and holds her breath for a few seconds until its gone.
KarniF00l
03-01-2008, 09:52
its all good I wasnt shooting you down lol, it was just a question I was generally confused cause ive always been told this works and it usualy does for my dd, acctualy now that I think about it water has the opposite affect on my dd, when water gets tips on her head she instantly freaks and holds her breath for a few seconds until its gone.
Well there you go children react differently to different methods. ;)
My DD2 does the same as your DD with water being tipped on her head, but takes a deep breathe when water gets flicked in her face.
metalhead713
03-01-2008, 09:56
Well there you go children react differently to different methods. ;)
My DD2 does the same as your DD with water being tipped on her head, but takes a deep breathe when water gets flicked in her face.
LOL um yeah I think the last thing you would want to do to a bub that isnt breathing is tip a heap of water on them :p.
KarniF00l
03-01-2008, 10:01
LOL um yeah I think the last thing you would want to do to a bub that isnt breathing is tip a heap of water on them :p.
Absolutely! but flicking water in their face (using your fingers to flick it :p) is much different than tipping a whole heap of water over them.
immarni - If she continues to do it, I'd also suggest getting an Apnea test done.
Harlequin
03-01-2008, 10:07
I took him to the doctor about it and I was told not to blow in his face because it can do more harm than good at any age, yet this is what they do in swimming lessons to get the child to hold their breath before dunking them under water :confused:
The best thing you can do is comfort her when she does this. Hold her tight and reassure her that everything is okay. DS2 use to snap out of it quicker that way.
That's an odd thing for someone to tell you...
Ava has reflex anoxic syncope, which involves fainting/turning white and blue, heart stopping and other wonderful symptoms. The pediatrician told me to blow in her face to try to get her breathing again too. It works. Thankfully.
The ambos also mentioned tickling the feet... apparently that's what they do to premmie babies in icu?
Just read your second post Karni... I'm guessing the blowing thing is for when you think they AREN'T breathing... in which case blowing and making them gasp in a breath is a good thing.
Hiya jaysmummy! Just saw your post too. I should read the entire thread before posting haha :) You had any news yet?
metalhead713
03-01-2008, 10:13
That's an odd thing for someone to tell you...
Ava has reflex anoxic syncope, which involves fainting/turning white and blue, heart stopping and other wonderful symptoms. The pediatrician told me to blow in her face to try to get her breathing again too. It works. Thankfully.
The ambos also mentioned tickling the feet... apparently that's what they do to premmie babies in icu?
Just read your second post Karni... I'm guessing the blowing thing is for when you think they AREN'T breathing... in which case blowing and making them gasp in a breath is a good thing.
Hiya jaysmummy! Just saw your post too. I should read the entire thread before posting haha :) You had any news yet?
thats what i mean, when my dd sort of forgets to take the next breath, but hasnt acctualy stopped breathing, it shocks her into taking a breath. But yeah different methods might work for diff babies i guess.
hey guys :) thanks for all the replies. Sorry has taken me so long to respond. I'm actually in Jakarta at the moment visiting my parents. I guess thats another thing that scared me cause i know that help would be a while away if she hadnt woken up!! I won't try the blowing in the face cause i have actually taught her to hold her breath for swimming that way....i went and saw the doctor today....she was a little hopeless but said there were no neurolgical signs that would make her worry and that it is a behavoioural thing that happens in some babies in toddlers. She said if it happens before 6 months then that is usually a sign something more is wrong than just a behavioural thing. I will go to my regular doctor when i go home and i will definately notify daycare that she does it when she goes back. I guess the whole thing was just a HUGE shock and i don't want to go through it again....but at least i will know what to expect i suppose. I will try the tickling of the feet next time :) Apparently anemia can make it worse so i will get her tested for it. Thanks again for all the responses....big help :)
Yep.... I have been told not to blow in the face either... I've never had to do it (touch wood) but from what i have read out of interest from this post either gently blowing on the face of flicking water is OK....
Apparently children who do this recover without any intervention... as scary as it is... and will generally only last for 30 - 60 seconds... Some children will have breath holding seizures but these brief seizures are not harmful...
Is is suggested that it should be checked out by a doc to ensure there is no underlying cause since passing out can be associated with iron deficiency anemia, a blood test to check for anemia might be a good idea if that hasn't been done yet. An EKG test is also sometimes done for these children to look for an underlying heart problem.
(REF - pediatrics.about.com)... not a direct link
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