We had a scary day.  Right after breakfast our 16 month old got into the trash can and my husband took the trash away from him, told him NO and took him in to the bathroom to wash his hands.  Our son got mad and cried for a few seconds and then his whole body stiffened and he started having what looked like a seizure.  He lost his color, his head went back and stiffened, he didn't seem to be breathing, and we could not pry his mouth open to see if he was choking because his teeth were clenched shut.

During all this we didn't know if he was choking, seizing, breathing, or what.  I was on the phone with 911, hubby was trying everything they told us to, and our son was completely unresponsive (eyes closed) and seemed to be turning blue.  Finally he started crying again.  The paramedics arrived and he was "post seizure"...lethargic and unable to focus on anything with his eyes glazed over.  But he started coming back to normal.  I called our pediatrician and they wanted him checked out so I took him to the Children's ER at the hospital.

The doc there was completely convinced that he held his breath due to being mad and that the lack of oxygen to his brain caused him to have that reaction.  She said some kids who do this pass out limp and others can have involuntary jerking movements that look like a seizure.   If it happens again she said the thing to do is lay them on their sides (if on their backs then their tongues could stop their breathing) until they come to.  Also, she said to never put anything into their mouths during a seizure.

Until he started crying again, my husband and I both believed our son was about to die.  It all happened within a few minutes but it felt like ages.  I keep having flashbacks of how he looked during the scariest time. On a good note, the paramedics arrived in record time and were super nice.  They told us to call them anytime we need them because "that's what they are there for."    

We are very thankful we were both home when this happened.  When it started the oldest five kids were quickly told to stay upstairs and stay quiet while the "firemen come to help" and they were so good to do so!  This was yet another strong reminder that we do not know how long we will have our children with us and that God is in control of all things.