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Consistent Newborn Twitching
Thu, 05/25/2006 - 21:18Topic: Parents & Caregivers
I need some help/input.
My 2 week old son has been twitching at least once or twice a day for the last week or so. He does it while sleeping or awake. Usually it's just his limbs but today I noticed his tongue coming in and out while he was twitching and his face muscles were distorting as well. It's fairly strong twitching, almost like a hiccup would move a newborn but repeatedly. He sighs and it stops. Without seeing it, my doctor says I should just keep an eye on him and isn't too worried. He never has done this while he's eating.
Should I be more agressive with my doctor and request tests or should I accept my doctor's advice and try not to worry and just keep an eye on him.
Thanks for any input.
Worried First Time Mom
Comments
Re: Consistent Newborn Twitching
Submitted by Brubaha Mom on Fri, 2006-05-26 - 07:18
Thanks so much for your reply. I checked first thing and was relieved to see your response. I have not seen any other sign of distress and he is growing quite quickly. He was a little over a week early. So... hopefully, he's just growing.
Thanks again for your input. Naturally I'll keep watching and try not to fuss. They say newborns can be fussy but they never mention how fussy the new moms are. :-)
Re: Consistent Newborn Twitching
Submitted by T mama on Thu, 2006-05-25 - 23:47
This twitching is most likely not seizures but actually a very common sign of an immature nervous system seen in many newborns. As his system grows and develops this should slow significantly and be gone within a month or so. Was he born a little early? If he was even a few weeks early this might be more pronounced than if he were 40 weeks. I would take your doctors advice and watch him. If it lasts for more than 20 seconds, or if he has color changes with it (such as bluish lips), or it does not go away by 3 or 4 months old than bring it up with the doc again. I am a Pediatric/Neonatal Intensive Care nurse, so I see this all the time and every parent is just as concerned. But don't worry at this point, he needs to grow.