Breath Taking

I have been noticing some interesting things about Bryan’s breath patterns when he’s a sleep (which is most of the time). Newborns and infants have short and very quick breathing patterns, almost as if an adult is short of breath. But I discovered that sometimes he’d stop breathing for a very brief moment (simply a short gap between his very rapid quick breathes) before the pattern returns to normal again (not to mention he’s pretty loud when he breathes).

I asked Brian about this, but he couldn’t recall of Laura went through the same phase. Sometimes I worry about the possibilities of SIDS. Although nobody really knows why SIDS happens to some babies, Brian and Birgit believe that it’s possible that some newborns may still think they are inside their mothers’ wounds and forget to actually breathe. I think that theory is plausible. I mean, I remember times when even I couldn’t distinguish between reality and being in a dream and forgot to breathe for long enough moments that I woke myself up. If infants aren’t equipped with the cognitive and physical ability to wake from dreams, they can get themselves into trouble.

As for the “shortness of breathes” and Bryan’s irregular breathing patterns (even the times when he sounds like an old man who needs to be on a oxygen mask), they’re supposed to be normal:

Irregular breathing and short apnoeic pauses are normal in young babies and have no adverse effects.

If not for the Internet (and broadband), I’d be calling our pediatrician quite regularly with the tinniest oddities in Bryan’s behaviors. There’s really no reason why there isn’t a “manual” for small things like “irregular breathings” and frequent hiccups.

Live and learn.