Mother with 'sleeping beauty syndrome' reveals she cannot remember her son's birth because she slept through it
Jody Robson, 24, can sleep for up to 11 days at a time when she has a Kleine Levin Syndrome attack
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Your support makes all the difference.A mother who suffers from a rare neurological disorder dubbed ‘sleeping beauty syndrome’ has no recollection of giving birth to her son because she sleep through the labour.
Jody Robson, 24, can sleep for up to 11 days at a time when she has a Kleine Levin Syndrome attack, one of which occurred just hours before she went into labour with her son Harley.
While many mothers would find the possibility of a pain-free birth appealing, Mrs Robson feels like she has been robbed of a one-of-a-kind moment to bond with her little boy.
“It upsets me because I don't remember giving birth and it's supposed to be a precious moment,” she told MailOnline. “I think that's the most upsetting episode I ever had. It gets me emotional because I missed it,” she added.
Harley is now six-years-old and Mrs Robson has since given birth to a second boy, three-year-old Riley, whose birth she thankfully can remember.
Although she has not yet been formally diagnosed with Kleine Levin Syndrome, Mrs Robson’s attacks are so severe that giving birth is not the only significant event she has missed.
‘One moment I’ve closed my eyes and the next I’ve woken up and it’s two or three weeks later. I’ve missed holidays and my sister’s eighteenth birthday because I was in an episode,” she said.
Mrs Robson revealed that she has also missed several Christmases over the years and very nearly missed her own wedding, waking just days before the ceremony.
When she suffers an attack, Mrs Robson can be roused temporarily to be taken to the toilet or eat a snack, but she remains in a trance-like state, not really able to control her behaviour.
Upon eventually regaining consciousness, the mother-of-two then faces several weeks of recovery, where she remains in a dream-like state, unable to remember anything.
Although she is frustrated about missing numerous important events in her life and the lives of her loved ones, Mrs Robson says that her illness mean she appreciates her waking moments all the more.
“When I have my episodes our lives are on hold. My children are so young and I get frustrated that I'm sleeping through their childhood….I just want a diagnosis so I can get some help,” she said.
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