SUSAN RNC
THIS COULD BE ONE OF SEVERAL THINGS... How long has this been going on? Apnea in babies generally starts at (or shortly there-after) birth if it is a physiological problem (seizures, prematurity, etc.). Also important....does he always regain a normal breathing pattern spontaneously or do you have to stimulate or resuscitate him? Is he on an Apnea monitor or do you just notice this? Apnea monitors can be set to alarm at different time intervals....is it always 30 sec. or more? Babies have short periods of apnea (no breathing) during nightmares, as adults do..... is he dreaming when this happens? Ask your doctor if they can do a sleep study on him. Awake EEG's have no relevance if the baby only does this when asleep. My nephew did the same thing as an infant, and they found that he was having what they termed "mini seizures" in his sleep. He "outgrew" this and he has no residual side effects but it was a harrowing 3 years for my sister (also a nurse) who jumped every time the monitor went off...several times a night! Let us know what they find.