Is very spunky.
Is very snuggly.
Is very much “girl”.
Loves her brothers.
Loves her mom and dad.
Is a spitfire.
Gives us a run for our money.
Knows what she wants in the moment.
Knows that she wants something completely different the next moment.
Is very strong willed.
Has an enormous temper for a two year old.
What, oh what, do I do with a girl like this?
Let me back up. When she was 18 months old, she had her first “episode”. She had fallen down and hit her head and was crying SO hard that she stopped breathing, started arching back, her eyes glazed over and completely freaked me out! It’s like she’s having a seizure almost- her whole body just seizes up. She finally came to after a few moments, but they were the longest few moments of my life.
This has happened a couple more times since then, when she’s really upset and crying very hard. The last time it happened (prior to last night) was in August. We were at a birthday party, she fell off a bike and started crying. I was able to blow in her mouth, causing her to gasp and she came to, within a moment. It only lasted a few seconds, not long enough for anyone else to notice what had transpired.
Fast forward from August to December and we have another episode. We had just gotten home from Cubbies and I was bringing Isaiah in the house. Jonah was already in the house when I heard Aphia start to cry. I went back out, figuring Jonah had shut the van door and she wanted to or something equally as ridiculous. By the time I reached the door, she had stopped crying, and as I rounded the van I saw her. She was still very much crying, just so hard that it was silent. She was not near the van, but on the other side of the garage and as I saw her I could tell what was happening. She was getting that glazed look and she started staggering towards me. I ran to her and grabbed her just before she would have collapsed on the ground. Her body was very stiff, she was arching back, her eyes were rolling back, glazy, and her lips were already turning purple. I tried to blow in her mouth three times, to no avail. I rushed her in the house talking to her, saying her name, and “Oh God, help me!” In the entry way I could tell that she wasn’t going to come out of this quickly, so I ran up to the kitchen to grab the phone and call 911. The phone was not on the charger and I panicked. I had no idea where it was and called to Jonah to look for it. My cell phone was out in the garage as I had dropped it on my way to grab her from falling. I fell to the floor with her in my arms just tried to keep her head level, so she could breathe when she finally started to. I finally felt her little body start to go limp in my arms, and I knew she was coming out of it. Within seconds of that, she was “back”. She started to wimper and I just held her close to me. She had a very confused look on her face and when I asked her what happened, she said, “I fell.”
When I got the story from Jonah he said that they had hopped out of the van and she asked him if he wanted to see her bike helmet. He said yes, but then decided to run in the house before she could show him. THAT is what made her SO upset. Really? REALLY?! Yes, really. That is how volatile she can be. I say again, “Oh God, help me!”
About 20 minutes later Jeremiah gets home from church and the kids were getting jammies on. I told Aphia to go potty. I hear her yell from the bathroom that Jonah’s Cubbie vest was on the floor and she starts to FREAK OUT! (NOOOOO! Not the Cubbie vest!!! AAAHHHH!!... seriously) Jeremiah walked to the bathroom door and she was starting to do this whole thing again, glazy eyes had started, silent cry from not breathing... But this time, she had been screaming, pounding her fists in the air, and jumping. She then fell over, hit her head on the toilet and that must have jolted her enough not to go into complete spasm mode.
This is too much for a mother to take. I’ve had stinking breathing issues with every person in my family. One day before we had kids, Jeremiah had a major bronchial spasm and couldn’t breathe (I called 911, but he started to breathe within about a minute or two). Then Jonah and his whole birth/not breathing/pneumothorax stuff. Then Aphia and this. And Isaiah and his whole, “I’m not going to cry or cough, thus never getting any gunk up, thus mucus getting lodged in my airway and Mom having to use the bulb syringe to suction it all out.” FOR REAL PEOPLE!! My nerves can’t handle this!! You’re all giving me gray hair!
Anyways. Has this ever happened to you or anyone you know? Most people I talk with confirm that it is truly just her getting SO upset for one reason or another. She’s either hurt or something doesn’t go her way, but either way it’s not a medical thing. It's just her personality, rearing it's U.G.L.Y. head. Any advice on what to do from here on out?
My MIL gave me some great words of wisdom and I’m doing my best to implement them. Stay calm during the spaz attack. Continue talking to her, “Aphia, Mommy’s here and I love you. You need to calm down and use words to talk to me. This type of behavior is not acceptable.” Keep her head level so she can breathe. Keep her safe so she doesn’t get hurt. And deal with the issues when she freaks out a little bit so that hopefully she’ll have better self control when the “big” times roll around.
Any other words of advice you’d like to give? Anything else I should look into? Your help, thoughts, and words mean very much to me! Thank you!
2 comments:
oh sweet sweet friend of mine! Such a loving mama you are....:) I know we've chatted about this before...& it all would totally freak me out, but I think your MIL's advice is probably pretty spot on. Have you chatted with your pediatrician? Maybe they'd have an idea? have you tried a spray bottle? that works with cats! *lol*
If I remember correctly (ask jude or grannie) I think jan used to do something like this... I think think she just outgrew it. sounds scary at the time though.
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