Apnea of Prematurity or apnea and bradycardia (A & Bs) is when a premature baby stops breathing for more than 15 seconds, the babys heart rate may slow down (bradycardia), and her skin may look pale, purple, or blue. Because this is a very common occurrence in premature babies, preemies are constantly monitored for apnea by a machine that will sound an alarm if breathing stops or if the heart rate drops lower than 100 beats per minute. If a premature baby is born under 31 weeks, she will almost always experience apnea.

One reason that apnea occurs in a premature baby is because her brain is not developed enough, and it needs to mature. This kind of apnea is called Central Apnea. Another reason that your premature baby may develop apnea is from a blockage caused by mucous or by an awkward position. This kind of apnea is called Obstructive Apnea

Many times a premature baby will begin breathing again on her own, but sometimes she may require stimulation such as a nurse touching or rubbing her arms, back, legs, feet, and etc. Occasionally a baby will require oxygen, a changed body position, a Nasal CPAP, a ventilator, medicine and/or minerals to keep her breathing more regular. As your premature baby gets older the frequency of apnea diminishes significantly.

Bradycardia is the slowing down of your premature babys heart rate to less than 100 beats a minute. Many times bradycardia will follow apnea, transient tachypnea, feeding tube insertions, and attempted bowel movements. Premature babies with bradycardia also have apnea because the same things cause both medical problems. For this reason, these two conditions are often lumped together and referred to equally.

Bradycardia can be caused by infection, hypoglycemia, anemia, body temperature abnormalities, over-stimulation, airway difficulties, acid reflux, and neurological complications.