sids, apnea, and bradycardia

  my son was born at 34 weeks and spent 7 days in the nicu. at birth he had respitory distress syndrome and on the 6th day he had an apnea episode. he was given a monitor and sent home. at home all of his alarms for apnea have been false, however, he began having low heart rate alarms when he was holding his breath and crying (cry breath they have been calling it). Recently (at 14 weeks old) my son had a low heart rate when he wasnt crying, he was just sitting in his bouncy chair. my ped says not to be alarmed that he has read the monitor print out and that there has always been movement during these episodes, that the heart has been dropping only to 60 and that he self recovers within seconds. i was wondering should i have an ekg done on my son i found out one was never given, is this truly a developmental thing, are we at a much higher risk of sids and is cry breath (holding your breath while crying) a tempermenatal thing?

[hfhs. RN-dlh]

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Dear Maggio,
Thank you for submitting your question.  According to the information you provided your health care providers have given accurate and adequate information regarding your infants apneic spells.  Having an ECG/EKG done on your infant will not provide you with any insights.  Apnea and bradycardia (slow heart beat) is a common problem with premature infants.  Your baby is clearly self correcting when stimulated and his/her heart rate of 60 should cause you undue concern.  This is truly a developmental phenomenon and the baby will outgrow it.  Related to your concerns regarding SIDS, you should informed that all infants, as a SIDS prevention mechanism, should be put to sleep on their backs, and in fact there is a national movement called "Back to Sleep" to promote just that.  Holding of the breathe is not necessarily so much tempermental, but rather probably more an issue of sophistication, that is doing alot at once for your little person, crying, breathing, and basically just getting their needs met.  So, it sounds like you are a well informed parent, doing all the right things for your baby, so enjoy.  If you do have the need for follow up please contact your health care provider or if you feel the need for additional care you can always contact our Department of Pediatrics, at [phone].  Thanks and take care, dlh

This material is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered a formal medical evualtion.  If you have specific questions, please contact your primary physician.
hfhs. rn-dlh
*keywords: newborn apnea, premature infants, sids