A British mother-to-be fears she can snooze through her child's birth

Almaty. February 18. Kazakhstan Today - A British mother-to-be fears she can snooze through her child's birth, Kazakhstan Today reports.

A mother-to-be with a rare neurological disorder fears she could sleep through most of her pregnancy, Daily Mail reported.

Nathalie Hoyland, 30, has a condition commonly known as Sleeping Beauty Syndrome, which means she can fall asleep for a month at a time - only rising to eat and go to the toilet.

Six-months pregnant Nathalie has suffered from Kleine-Levin Syndrome since she was 17.

In the past she has missed birthdays and spent weeks off work asleep, but the thought that at any time she could snooze through her pregnancy fills her with genuine panic.

Careers advisor Nathalie, 30, lives in Thirsk with her partner of four years Steve Tarplee, 24, and the pair are looking forward to the birth of their first born in May.

Nathalie was working as a sales assistant at the age of 17 when one day she became woozy and had to sit down. Minutes later, she was snoozing in the staff room.

From that point on she suffered week-long 'sleeping episodes' on average every two months.

When awake, people with KLS often find themselves in a dream-like state and can fall victim to other compulsive behaviours such as over-eating and sex addiction.

The longest episode Nathalie has ever suffered, her most recent one, lasted an entire month during which time she was completely unable to function.

Affected individuals may go for a period of weeks, months or even years without experiencing any symptoms, which can then reappear with little warning.

In between episodes those diagnosed with KLS appear to be in perfect health with no evidence of behavioural or physical dysfunction.

There is no cure and no known cause for KLS although many patients report fewer episodes as they get older.

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