With the advent of the child, mother's sleep becomes so sensitive that most mothers can hear rustling and barely audible sounds of the baby. Often mothers listen to the night "sniff" to make sure that the baby's breathing is not disturbed. Such experiences are sometimes not in vain, because some newborns may have a dangerous disorder - apnea, which can lead to a stop of breathing.
Apnea is characterized by the fact that in a dream the breathing is interrupted in children. Infants most often have central apnea, during which the brain stops sending signals to the respiratory muscles, and their work temporarily stops. The greatest risk of developing apnea is susceptible to premature newborns that were born before 37 weeks of gestation.
The causes of apnea are most often attributed to the immaturity of the central nervous system. But the ailment can also develop due to other malformations, infections, gastrointestinal diseases (particularly reflux), problems with heart and vascular function, imbalance of minerals and poisoning with drugs.
Symptoms of apnea
According to laboratory studies, respiratory arrest in infants on average lasts 20 seconds, but may be longer, in older children - no more than 10 seconds. After this, the child suddenly sobs or sighs, and breathing is restored. Due to oxygen starvation the skin of the arms and legs of the baby acquires a cyanotic shade.
According to pediatricians, periodic breathing may be the norm for children younger than 6 months. In healthy children, periodic breathing with pauses of about 10-15 seconds takes 5% of the time of sleep. But, as a rule, children who have nocturnal sleep apnea are often put in a hospital for examination to make sure that breathing stops can not lead to death. Apnea is dangerous for
Moms, whose babies suffer from apnea, should know what can be done when the baby stops breathing in a dream. The first thing to do is to slow the baby: rub his heels, pens and earlobes. In order to ensure the flow of blood to the head, you must turn the baby to the tummy. Urgent need to call an ambulance, if the trunk or forehead get cyanotic. Treatment of apnea should be under the supervision of a doctor who can prescribe drugs that stimulate the CNS.