What Exactly are Breath Holding Spells?
Holding breath spells are usually brought on by emotion in a child. A child typically becomes upset and rather suddenly and dramatically stops breathing. In extreme cases, a breath holding spell can lead to a brief loss of consciousness which can be quite frightening to the onlooking parents. This brief loss of consciousness usually stimulates the return of normal breathing. At the time of the breath holding spell, the child may become blue in color, and some children will even manifest jerky movements that resemble a seizure.
