A.H.
Here's some info I found. I'd also check in with my pediatrician on this based on her young age. Good luck.
Babies make a lot of movements that are often mistaken for seizures, including having a quivering chin, trembling hands, and jerky arm movements. Fortunately, these types of movements are usually normal. Babies can have seizures though, so if you baby is doing something that you think might be a seizure, you should discuss it with your Pediatrician.
General ways that you can tell if a movement is normal or a seizure include:
* that the movement always occurs at a certain time, like when you change her diaper. You wouldn't expect a seizure to occur only when you change her diaper, so these shaking movements might be simply because she doesn't like her diaper being changed. Infantile spasms are more likely to occur when a baby is going to sleep or waking up, so that is an exception to a movement being normal even if it occurs at the same time each day.
* whether or not you can stop the shaking or jerking. If an infant's arm is jerking and you can stop it by gently hold her arm, then it probably isn't a seizure. With a seizure, you would expect the jerking to continue as you held her arm.
* that your baby is otherwise healthy and growing and developing normally, which would also go against having seizures. Keep in mind that when a baby first begins having seizures, she may be otherwise fine, but over time, you would expect some other symptoms or problems with her development if she was having frequent seizures or spasms.
* having movements that are bilateral (on both sides of her body), symmetric (for example, both arms do the same thing at the same time), and/or rhythmic, which may be a sign of a seizure.
Keep in mind that some seizure disorders in young children can be rather subtle, like a simple head nod, lip smacking, or starting. So talk to your Pediatrician any time that you suspect your baby has a seizure. It is often helpful to record the suspicious activity with a video camera if you can, and bring the tape for your Pediatrician to view.
Updated
Here's some info I found. I'd also check in with my pediatrician on this based on her young age. Good luck.
Babies make a lot of movements that are often mistaken for seizures, including having a quivering chin, trembling hands, and jerky arm movements. Fortunately, these types of movements are usually normal. Babies can have seizures though, so if you baby is doing something that you think might be a seizure, you should discuss it with your Pediatrician.
General ways that you can tell if a movement is normal or a seizure include:
* that the movement always occurs at a certain time, like when you change her diaper. You wouldn't expect a seizure to occur only when you change her diaper, so these shaking movements might be simply because she doesn't like her diaper being changed. Infantile spasms are more likely to occur when a baby is going to sleep or waking up, so that is an exception to a movement being normal even if it occurs at the same time each day.
* whether or not you can stop the shaking or jerking. If an infant's arm is jerking and you can stop it by gently hold her arm, then it probably isn't a seizure. With a seizure, you would expect the jerking to continue as you held her arm.
* that your baby is otherwise healthy and growing and developing normally, which would also go against having seizures. Keep in mind that when a baby first begins having seizures, she may be otherwise fine, but over time, you would expect some other symptoms or problems with her development if she was having frequent seizures or spasms.
* having movements that are bilateral (on both sides of her body), symmetric (for example, both arms do the same thing at the same time), and/or rhythmic, which may be a sign of a seizure.
Keep in mind that some seizure disorders in young children can be rather subtle, like a simple head nod, lip smacking, or starting. So talk to your Pediatrician any time that you suspect your baby has a seizure. It is often helpful to record the suspicious activity with a video camera if you can, and bring the tape for your Pediatrician to view.