There are several reasons your child or grandchild might lose consciousness and hopefully this will never happen to them, but I want to share a story about breath holding, which can and did cause my four year old granddaughter to pass out at Disney World this spring. We were so unprepared and shocked when it happened that it terrified us. I had never heard of this happening. Perhaps by reading our story you might be able to help a child or someone you know get through this because it really is one experience this nana will never forget.
Our Trip to Disney World
Back in the spring my daughter and I went to Disney World and took her four year old daughter, Little Miss K, and my oldest granddaughter, Abby, who was 11 years old. We were having a great first day. We’d seen Beauty and the Beast and ridden some rides. It was getting late and we were tired. We headed back to our hotel room and the kids were running on ahead of us. Suddenly Little Miss K hung her sandal on the carpet and tripped. She hit the ground face down really hard and lay motionless. My daughter ran to her and when she picked her up her eyes rolled back in her head and she didn’t appear to be breathing. She had actually passed out from holding her breath but we were too frightened to know what was going on. My daughter started screaming for help while her daughter’s body lay lifeless in her arms.
I’d like to tell you that as the wise grandmother I knew exactly what to do and immediately became the voice of reason. But that would be a lie.
We banged madly on someone’s hotel room door and told them to call 911. We were both crying and my granddaughter’s lips were turning blue. While all this was happening my oldest granddaughter was crying loudly too and I wrapped my arms around her in an effort to comfort her.
And then just as fast as it happened. It was over. Sort of.
Her color came back and she was breathing normal and acting fine. The ambulance came and the EMT’s took her blood pressure and checked her out and declared all her vital signs were good. My daughter had to make the choice between transporting her to the hospital and having some tests run, or staying where we were, going to our room and going to bed.
We chose the latter but we were nervous about it. We simply weren’t sure what had happened. And if it happened once, could it happen again? My husband was flying in later that night and the EMTs said they felt very sure it was an isolated event.
We sent the EMTs on their way and even though we didn’t say it out loud, we both wondered if we would be calling them back later that night.
Disney World Wonders
The hotel staff and the EMT’s stayed with us until we were calm. They couldn’t have been any nicer or more helpful. There was also a couple whose door we randomly knocked for help during my granddaughter’s accident belonged to a former ICU nurse. She was kind and reassuring, and we appreciated her and her husband both. They were actually the ones who called 911. We were so emotionally distraught neither one of us could punch three numbers on our cell phones.
We took the kids back to the room and went to bed, but truthfully the incident had scared us both so badly my daughter and I were awake most of the night just watching our tiny angel sleep. The shock of what had happened hadn’t worn off and we just couldn’t wrap our minds around it. One minute she was happy, laughing and running down the hallway and the next she was lifeless and unconscious. How does that happen?
We learned from our pediatrician that children pass out from holding their breath more often than you might think.
Breath-Holding Spells
The rest of our Disney World trip was perfect but one of the first things my daughter did when she got back home was go visit her pediatrician.
After my daughter described what had happened the doctor immediately reassured her that everything was fine and that this actually happens fairly often. Young children (usually under 5 years old) are sometimes prone to two kinds of breath holding spells. The one my granddaughter experienced was a Pallid breath-holding spell. These are less common and more unpredictable because they happen after a child has gotten a sudden fright or startle (like being surprised from behind). Unlike with cyanotic spells, kids turn very pale, almost white, during the spell. (Breath Holding Spells)
When my granddaughter fell, she got the breath knocked out of her. That scared her and then when her mother picked her up and began screaming and my granddaughter couldn’t breathe, she lost consciousness, or passed out. That made her lips turn blue and her skin a ghostly white. My daughter and I thought she was dying. It was one of the worst moments of our lives.
The other type of episode is called Cyanotic Breath Holding Spell and they are usually triggered by the child becoming frustrated or angry. The child will typically cry vigorously, but for less than 15 seconds. Then the child becomes silent, stops breathing, and rapidly turns blue. This causes them to lose consciousness and the child will be limp ; often the child will seem to stiffen and arch his back. The child usually recovers in less than one minute.Both types of spells cause kids to stop breathing and sometimes lose consciousness for up to a minute. In the most extreme cases, kids might have seizures. According to the article, having a seizure does not cause any long-term harm or put a child at risk of developing a seizure disorder. (Breath Holding Spells-Sarah Roddy M.D.)
I Hope This Never Happens To Your Grandchild
Pat, I’m so glad you wrote and shared. Thank you! I love it when we reach out to each other. Blessings to you my friend!
Teresa
It was terrifying!
One of my older sisters done that. That is what my parents said.
My daughter had a similar event when she was only one year old and had a stomach virus. Her vomiting caused a “vasovagal syncope” response that dropped her blood pressure and she fainted and stopped breathing for a few seconds. Those few seconds seemed like an eternity to me. I had her checked out by our pediatrician the next day and he told me what happened.
I am also CPR certified–a very valuable skill for all parents and grandparents.
Sandra, thanks so much for writing. It scared the stuffings out of me! I hope it never happens to my grandchild or yours again!
Jeanne, so good to hear from you but what an experience you have had with your son. Of course you still worry! You are a “Mom for Life” not just when they are little. Will say a prayer for your son and please let me know when the surgery is over and that everything is okay. NanaHood Hugs!
I can identify with this fear, but it was actually my son his first year of life. He was born with a congenital heart defect (Tetralogy of Fallot), or the common term of ‘blue baby’. He turned blue just crying or, as surgery got closer, when he had blue spells. He had surgery at 13 months, and was a changed child. Like you said, appreciate your child’s good health. That son is now 36 and he actually is scheduled for open heart surgery again February 6. We are both older, and hopefully wiser, but he is still our son and we worry. Hopefully, this surgery will be his last and take care of the problems he is having. Our children’s and grand children’s health is a priceless gift. We are putting our trust in God and the Drs., knowing God will handle this.
I have a granddaughter and a grandson that this has happened to. I have been with both of them when it happens and yes
I panic every time. Thank goodness it just lasts a split
second but it still is unnerving.