My son has been doing this for a while now, I would say about a year and a half. He vomits in his sleep and has no idea he’s done it and continues to sleep. I only know he’s done it when I check on him before I go to sleep and the smell hits me or he tells me in the morning.
He used to have a lot of trouble sleeping at night, getting up 6-10 times. He would also say his tummy hurt just as he was about to go to sleep. I think it is anxiety as he also chews his finger nails, grinds his teeth at night and picks at sores. He doesn’t like to sleep in a room by himself so he sleeps with his younger brother.
He also sleeps with his mouth open but is not congested. He rarely snores.
How could he possibly not wake up when he vomits and why would he be doing this?
Just thought I would let most of you know that I came here for help not to be criticised. I am doing what I can for my son and while I understand that choking can lead to death unless you are unconscious which is different to sleeping a grown child will self consciously turn their head while vomiting if they are on their backs due to the gag reflex. If you want to be a keyboard warrior and make a mother feel bad about herself go somewhere else to do it. Shame on you.
since aspirating his vomit could result in death, i suggest taking this question to an actual doctor.
khairete
S.
This child needs seen by a doctor immediately before he chokes on his vomit in his sleep and dies.
It is considered neglect to withhold medical care from your child. Especially if you know he has a potential life threatening problem. Get him seen asap please!
Okay I'm blunt, I get it.
Maybe you can ask the coroner when he chokes on his vomit and dies. I'm not going to assume he's been to a pediatrician once per year.
Be his mother and take him to a doctor!
From your post, it doesn't sound like you have gone through any medical testing to determine what is the matter with your son. This is the first thing you must do! If your son doesn't wake when he vomits, he may die in his sleep one night if he is laying on his back.
You need to get him help with his anxiety.
If there is a children's hospital in your area, get him evaluated. They have teams of specialists who can help. Don't let this continue without help.
Dear E.,
Welcome to Mamapedia. When you discussed all of this with his pediatrician (since there has been at least one annual check-up in 18 months for a school-aged child, possibly two), what was explained by the doctor about the risk of death from the aspiration of vomit? What tests were ordered, what plan was put in place for things like foods, acid reflux, and anxiety-coping strategies? When you talked to the gastro-intestinal specialist, what were you told? It would help if you edited your question to give us all this background before we answer any further. It's just a waste of time to start from scratch since I'm sure you have done so much investigation already with qualified medical specialists. The laundry alone would be enough to drive any mother to distraction.
ETA: per your SWH... no, Shame on you for not taking your kid to a Dr when you are well aware of a medical issue. That's neglect... mom and you need a wake up call before he dies in his sleep choking on his vomit.
We're not keyboard warriors. YOU came here on a public forum asking for advice. It's insane that you are defending your decision. I pray for your children.
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Why are you not talking to a Dr?
We have no clue what causes this.
All we know is that he could die from this and instead of taking him to a Dr for testing, you are online asking strangers and wondering what to do? REALLY!
Please tell us, as clearly as possible, what doctors your son has seen, what tests have been done, what specialists he has seen. Is he getting help for his anxiety?
Has he had a sleep study?
Do you have medical insurance or a regular doctor?
What does your doctor say?
Acid reflux could burn his esophagus over time and cause problems.
Choking when he throws up in his sleep is a real concern - he could die.
For a year and a half you've known about a situation that is potentially life threatening.
You've known he's had sleep issues longer than that.
Maybe it is anxiety and maybe it isn't.
Constant throwing up might be a real problem with his digestive system.
Get off the internet and get your child to a doctor - a pediatric gastroenterologist would be a good place to start.
Your child needs immediate help.
Get him some.
By all means get him checked-- but the pediatrician may have no idea. My 4-year-old recently went through a month of vomiting at night some nights but not others. His doc diagnosed it as a stomach bug, then a stubborn stomach bug, and finally admitted she had no idea. It turns out he had developed an allergy to pork and beef-- due to a tick bite! So, as you gather info for the doc, consider whether there is a particular food or food group associated with these incidents.
You need to take him to the doctor NOW.
E.
Welcome to mamapedia.
WHY haven't you taken your son to the pediatrician and had him checked out?
Why have you not had a sleep study done on your son?
Sounds like your son has issues that MUST be addressed and you are just letting them happen and not dealing with them.
Chewing finger nails, grinding teeth and picking at sores is NOT healthy. Have you THOUGHT maybe your son needs to be seen by a therapist???
My first thought would be to take him to a pediatrician, request a sleep study and then have him talk with a therapist to see if there's something going on that you're either not listening or paying attention to!
I would say the anxiety part might be bang on - in which case, seeing a counselor for kids would be helpful (we've done that). There are techniques that can help kids (relaxation) before bedtime and even apps they can download that relax them before bed. Even sprays they can use. A nightly bedtime routine can also be helpful. What about a teeth night guard (I use one). You might want to save his teeth. If it's an underlying issue (psychological) that's actually bothering him, a trained psychologist can help uncover that and actually help him/you to deal with that. It's worth a shot.
Getting up 6-10 times a night obviously disrupting his sleep which is critical for his growth/brain development as you must know and can't be helping anyone - you or his brother.
And of course, vomiting nightly can ruin his digestive tract not to mention result in death.
So - of course, you need to take him to pediatrician pronto. That's where I would begin.
Not a doctor here, but it sounds like your son may have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) aka acid reflux. My 3 year old has it and has had it for at least a year — he coughs and chokes during sleep. He was prescribe Zantac. Initially, he took it twice a day for about a month. Now, he takes it as needed.
I've heard that in some cases, repetitive vomiting (especially at night) could actually be a seizure disorder. I definitely would have it checked out.
