What to do if the baby likes to hold his breath

Some newborn babies like to hold their breath, which can manifest as a sudden cessation of breathing, and can cause the face to gradually turn purple, and the limbs to become weak. Sometimes it scares some mothers so much. Generally speaking, this symptom is caused because the brains of some newborn babies are not particularly mature, so this phenomenon occurs when they encounter cold stimulation or have many diseases such as pneumonia. So what should we do in this situation?

The answer is that newborns often experience sudden breath holding within 2 to 20 days after birth. Especially premature babies or small-sized full-term babies. The main symptoms are sudden respiratory arrest, purple face, and weak limbs. If you hold your breath for more than 15 to 30 seconds, it is medically known as "sleep apnea". The main reason is that the newborn's brain is immature, and when it encounters cold stimulation or suffers from diseases such as pneumonia, it may experience breath holding.

Parents do not need to panic when the child suffers from breath holding attack: it is best to lay the child flat on the bed, unbutton the collar, and keep the airway open; blow gently on the baby's face to reduce brain hypoxia; pat the soles of the feet or back; pinch and press the child's Ren Zhong (the center between the nostrils and the upper lip), Yin Tang (the center of the eyebrows), He Gu (the base of the palms) and other acupoints with your fingers to help the child recover as soon as possible; you can also press the chest to quickly improve hypoxia and help restore breathing. Avoid hugging your child tightly or forcing him/her into a ball, especially around his/her neck, as this may cause serious consequences such as suffocation.

In recent years, some scholars have suggested that breath-holding attacks in infants and young children are related to iron deficiency. Clinical tests and control studies found that most children with breath-holding attacks were iron deficient, and after 1-3 months of iron supplementation, the breath-holding attacks completely stopped or the frequency of attacks was significantly reduced, and serum iron indicators returned to normal. Therefore, children who suffer from frequent breath-holding attacks can go to the hospital to receive guidance from a specialist and, if necessary, take iron supplements or receive related treatments.

Having said so much above, some people may have this question: Does newborn babies need treatment for holding their breath? In fact, when you hold your breath, the blood and oxygen in your lungs will stop exchanging, causing the body to suffer from oxygen deprivation. However, if the time is too long, it may be life-threatening, so in this case, you must let professional personnel to remove it. If the condition is more serious, you must go to the hospital.