Is it normal for an infant to hold the breath while crying?

Q: My three and a half months old daughter cried a lot and held her breath during bath due to, which she turned red. My wife and in-laws hit her hard on the hip and later she started responding slowly, now she is normal. Is it normal for an infant to hold breath and turn red? Does this effect her health and growth?

A:This could either be a breath holding spell, which usually occur beyond 6 months of age but some times may happen at earlier age. Or this could also be that she got choked while taking bath. Both situations usually are benign and should not leave any long term effects.