Does Your Kid Snore at Night?

By Marica ā€¢

Does Your Kid Snore at Night?

My son snores.

At first, it was no big deal. Just annoying. And loud. But anyone who watches television has seen the ads: ā€œdoes your husband snore at night? Maybe he has sleep apnea!ā€ And then it goes on to list all the scary things that sleep apnea can do to you. So I worried.

Watch my son sleep. Itā€™s like turning off a light. One second, heā€™s talking to me, snuggled in my arms, and the next? Boom. He starts to snore. His nasal passages are completely blocked, and he struggles for each breath. Sometimes, I can see his chest pulling for air, but nothing is happening, so I say to him, gently, ā€œBreathe, baby. Breathe through your mouth.ā€ Finally, heā€™ll take a breath and Iā€™ll realize Iā€™ve been holding mine.

No oneā€™s getting much sleep in our house, these days.

Itā€™s horrible in the winter, with the dry air wreaking havoc on all of us, but him most of all. Iā€™ve tried vaporizers and Vics Vapo Rub, eucalyptus on his pillow and humidifiers by his bedside. Iā€™ve tried propping him up, Iā€™ve switched out his pillows for more or less height and support. Every time he crawls into the big bed in the middle of the night, I spend the hours until dawn worrying over every breath he takesā€“or doesnā€™t.

There are three possible problems that need to be addressed. I know somethingā€™s not working right in his nose, because he can blow his nose a hundred times and nothing comes outā€¦ but if you close one nostril and ask him to breathe, he canā€™t. He might have a deviated septum, which can be fixed surgically (I donā€™t think shoving drinking straws up his nose would alleviate the problem, thanks for suggesting it, though). He might have enlarged tonsils, which can also be removed with a minimum of fuss, as soon as I stop getting freaked about anesthesia. Or it might be his adenoids.

Do you know what the adenoids are? I didnā€™t, until I began to research why my son couldnā€™t breathe. Adenoids are hidden behind the nose and the roof of the mouth, and may help young children fight infections while their immune systems develop. Thereā€™s a chance my sonā€™s adenoids are swollen and infected, and that a round of antibiotics might clear up the problem. If not, they can be removed, and a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are sometimes performed together. Now, if only I could get his doctorā€™s office to pick up so I could make an appointment! Sigh. No time like the present.

Child health, Mothering

Related Topics

Help No Seriously. I Need Help. What do You Want for Thirty Bucks We Want You if You Can Answer the following Questions Correctly Diet Excuses....do You Fit in Copenhagen: Can You Pass the Danish Test Is It Really an Information Revolution Should You Hate Twitter or Merely Hate the Hype Surrounding It Is Having a Blogging Code of Conduct Really Necessary Why Does Hair Turn Gray Size Matters

Popular Now