What's happening to my son? I'm worried...?

Question

Ok, so this has happened a few times now, since my son was born. He is now 3 months old.

He gets like episode of some kind of panic, if I can say it like that. It looks like hiccups, but it's not (which I can differentiate between the two). He wakes up crying so loud, out of the blues, just like that. He breaths like he is out of breath, very rapidly, and his chest is pounding really hard. It last for a few minutes, somewhere between 3-6 minutes. I asked the doctor before, and he said my baby was fine. I don't think he understood all the symptoms correctly, since I cannot really explain it the best way.

What's happening to him? I am worried it could be his heart. I have a few members in my family with heart problems. A few had heart attacks, and many have blood pressure, quite high. Even myself, I do have higher than normal blood pressure, although I am not diagnosed with Blood Pressure just yet. At the time of delivery, they recorded some pretty high numbers on my blood pressure (enough to get the doctors worried). Could it have any effects on my baby?

When those episodes happens, nothing will comfort him. Not nursing, not walking, not rocking... nothing. Those 3-6 minutes are like....very scary to say the least. After a bit (say when the worst is gone), he can nurse (for a very short period 2-3 minutes), and he seems like exhausted, and he goes right back to sleep. What do you think? Should I seek the opinion of another doctor?

Answer 1

I had preemies so breathing problems were not unusual to us.  They had sleep apnea, where while they were asleep the would stop breathing.  When they got home they were put on apnea monitors.  So what I suggest watch him while he sleeps if you notice a couple of seconds where he is not breathing contact a new doctor, but while you wait for an appointment and you notice him not breathing.....you should some how wake him up for an example....we would blow on our kids faces or stroke their feet.  This would get them irritated enough to get them breathing again.  If your child is out of breath the last thing you should probably do is force a nipple in his mouth for comfort.  For us this was really nothing to worry about, babies grow out of this phase, but for a sign of relief the monitors helped.  Also if this doesnt help does he have a stuffy nose? Our kids had a stuffy nose when they came home and even to this day at 8 months of age and they would have trouble breathing and were irritated at the fact that they could not eat, so clean it out and get a humidifier....hope this helps

Answer 2

Babies get scared just like we do.  What worries me about what you are describing is the very end.  If he is that wiped out after this that worries me and I would have someone else look at him.  If their is a history of heart problems in your family demand that they check on his heart.  As his mother you are his health advocate.  And if nothing else do it for your piece of mind.

Answer 3

Sweetheart i feel for u ,u really should see another better doc. good luck and i'll pray for u for sure but plz go see a doc as soon as possible

Answer 4

There is no point worrying about it ,to put my mind at rest I would get a second opinion .

If  he were older I would say it was the night tremors, thats exactly what my 2 boys did when they were young , but they were about a year old . It could be something simple like collic that would explain the hiccup motion . Good luck .

Answer 5

he could have an allergic reaction to something like anaphalaxis or maybe something like epilepsy. I suggest you see another doctor.

Answer 6

trust your doctor

Answer 7

it sounds like night terrors. i've heard of babies having them.

http://www.thebabywebsite.com/article.12...

but if you are worried about his heart then bring him to the doctor again or get a second opinion.  

Answer 8

A similar thing happens to my baby too.  He has these "episodes" where he seems very short of breath and takes short/choppy breaths very quickly. You can see his chest rising. It is very rapid and scary. It usually only lasts around 1 minute, though, and only happens when he is asleep. The doctor said that most likely it is a bad dream. As he gets older (he is 10.5 months now), it seems like it happens less and less.  

I would suggest you set up a video camera while your baby sleeps so that you can capture and episode and show it to your doctor. That may be the only way to help him/her understand.

Good luck and try not to jump to any conclusions! I know it is hard to do, though, especially if you are a new Mom! =)

Answer 9

Best case scenario, he has colic or wind. They startle, then look paniced, then cry and nothing can stop them from crying and it's scary and frustrating! Their heart rate does increase because they're in a panic and in pain, so it's bound to have an effect on his heart. Try, when this happens, putting pressure (not too hard obviously!) on his tummy or lying him down on his tummy and stroking his back. This will take a while for him to get used to if he's not used to being on his tummy.

But it defo sounds to me like he's got colic or wind. Try INFACOL or gripe water and follow what it says on the packet.

Hiccups are a result of wind or air getting trapped in the oesophagus so it def sounds like wind. If it happens at the same time every day (for my baby it's between 7 and 9 at night) then it's colic. No one is quite sure what colic is or how it comes about, but the gasses in the stomach create little pockets of air that can be very painful.

If his poo and pee are all normal, then it's nothing to worry about alergy wise. And as for his heart, it's fine! If a doctor has checked him out then he's fine. Heart problems dont just start up like that, and if they did, it would be a heart attack and your baby would become lifeless.

Phone your health advisor about INFACOL and gripe water if you're not sure, but you can buy it out of any pharmacy!

Good luck! This does pass, usually when they're on solids.

PS. However, make sure your baby gets a good diet if your family have a history of heart problems. And make sure your GP is aware of this as it will probably mean he's monitored throughout his life

Answer 10

Second opinion from another doctor, ASAP

Where bubs health is concerned I take no guesses.

Answer 11

babies generally get scared quickly. 1 of my girls have episodes where she shakes her head, i thought she was going into a fit, but then found out she was teething, her gums started itching at 3 months already

Answer 12

Sweet pea, you're his mommy, and know him better than anyone else. DO NOT leave the doctor's office till they have checked his blood pressure and heart, and if it turns out it's just something he does, then fantastic. But if something is really wrong, you will have figures it out. Kick and scream and have a fit if that's what it takes, but ease our mind, and check him out. Sometimes doctors are more about numbers than patients. I'll be praying for you and good luck!!!!

Answer 13

He's probably dreaming. And it may be scary for him, even though it's not "scary" - it could just be something new for him.

Take a log of when he has his episodes, and see if they worsen. Most babies grow out of it.

He will be exhausted - think how you are when you have a bad dream.

My 2 year old would have night terrors (as they call it) and it lasted about a year.

Only if it happens during his awake time would I really worry about it. Good luck!

Answer 14

Oh my.Trust your instinct and demand that the doctor takes this seriously.If that one won't then find one that will.There may very well be nothing wrong, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Answer 15

Seek advice from another doctor.

He just might just be very unsettled.

But go see a doctor just in case.

I hope your son get's better, good luck! x

Answer 16

My son done the same thing and I even called the ambulance (My uncle was the EMT on duty). They hooked him up to oxygen monitors and heart monitors. He was fine. My doctor told me she had heard of this before but that they aren't really sure but he could be getting hiccups in sleep or dreaming but not to worry unless they went over 20 seconds without taking a breath of air. If so it could be a type of apnea and further testing would be necessary. It is really scary but my son seemed to grow out of it by the time he was 7 months old

Answer 17

The next time it happens bring him directly to the nearest emergency room and have him looked at immediately.  It does not sound normal to me nor does it sound like your doctor is taking you seriously enough.  You need to trust your mother's intuition and not be placated by your doctor's condescension.  Good luck!

Answer 18

If you have a video camera try to get it on there so you can show the doctor. This way he/she can see what exactly is going on.

Answer 19

OK - 1) your doctor said its ok BUT if your still worried about it, ask another doctor, GET A 2nd OPINION!

2) if, like me, your from the UK, go on NHS direct (google it) and type in symptoms for a possible clue - or go to NetDoctor website

*but seriously, get a 2nd opinion from another qualified health professional! hope your son is ok!