Child health and wellness

By Aishat Idowu, R.N. Image source: parent.com Have you ever asked the question "is my baby okay"all because he stops breathing briefly? Yes, your baby is! Why? Because your baby is perfectly normal but he's simply forgetting to breathe. Weird right? This is called periodic breathing. PERIODIC BREATHING is a breathing pattern in babies in which pauses occur for short periods, usually 5-10 seconds, or at least 3 seconds, then followed by a fast and shallow breathing that returns to normal without any help or intervention. It occurs more when babies are in deep sleep, but may occur during light sleep and while they are awake. With periodic breathing, babies will return to normal breathing shortly without any problem. Sometimes, it is not a single pause but a series of three or more pauses that are completely harmless. This pattern of breathing reduces with age and becomes very rare after the age of 6 months. It occurs in both mature (babies up to 9 months before birth) and...