What is a gasp and when is it a concern. she doesn't stop breathing at night; will gasp kind of like in the whooping cough cemercial. no cough with it.?

Probably benign: I assume you are referring to a small child. The cause of this may vary with age. Pauses and sighs are common during sleep and not concerning. High pitched breathing noises on breathing in may occur in infants with acid reflux. I would recommend that you try and capture a video on your phone and bring it to your child's pediatrician. Red flags would be problems growing and labored breathing.

Not normal: Repeated gasping during sleep is abnormal at any age. It could be caused by a number of things (sleep apnea, reflux, some medications), none of which i would describe a benign.