Breathing check panic

I think it is a 'new parent' thing, the breathing check.  Infant is fast asleep and somewhere in the depth of your brain there is a little fear impulse that compels you to make sure he is still alive and breathing.  Went through it when Mars was born, again when Odin was born.  More frequently early on, wanes away before they turned one.  Then Mars got sick and the breathing checks restarted for a while.  That lasted a few more months and the compulsion was fading...

5:00 am today I wake up and Odin looks odd.  Pale?  Lying awkwardly?  Too still?  Don't know what it was but immediately look to see if his chest is rising.  Start to worry and feel to see if his chest is rising.  Start to panic and gently shake until he moves.  Holy adrenalin batman.  I had gotten myself completely freaked out.  Of course he was fine the whole time (at least until I disturbed his happy little sleep).  The light, the angle, the blankets, blurry eyed at 5:00 am... once wide awake it was completely obvious to see and hear he was breathing completely normally.

Pre-kids I never truly understood what made fear such an excellent motivator.  Now I do.  Logic is forgotten and some kind of reptilian hind-brain kicks in.  It explains a lot.