Can anyone help assure me that it's normal for my four month old to be having little spasms with her foot and one arm? It's only happened a couple of times in her life, and the doctor says she is developmentally on target, but it would help me feel better to know that other babies have had this and it hasn't been a problem. I'm concerned of course about cerebral palsy and other things, which the doctor says I shouldn't be. The baby has had this with her foot when she's breastfeeding, and has done it with her arm when she's excited. It's kind of like a tremor. Thanks for your advice.
Have you tried to video tape the baby while having a spasm?
That way nothing gets lost in translation and you can show the episode to the doctor at your next wellness checkup. Also, keep a journal so that you can accurately note how many times it happens. Hopefully having the doctor see what happens will help put your mind at ease.
Good luck.
If you are concerned get a second opinion preferably from a specialist to help put you at ease.
my daughter for the longest time was very shakey when she would wake up and w/a family history of epilepsy I was worried. To reassure myself I took her to a neurologist and they performed an ekg while she was asleep so it was not traumatic to her at all and it came back normal so I felt much better about that. The neurologist said that babies nervous systems are maturing and that it is not uncommon for that to happen. If i were you I'd have it checked out w/a neurologist. I'm a firm believer in taking every precaustion because pediatricians are not specialist in that area.
I think most babies has some spasm or other especially when they are in the first few months of life,but if you are still concerned I would have your baby see a neurologist just to be sure. Pediatricians see an awful lot of children in their practice daily so it is possible that they could miss something. After all your child's health is your responsibility more than the pediatrician's. My daughter had some spasms shortly after birth that were actually caught by a doctor in the hospital. She had to have tests and eventually medication(and her development was behind schedule) but she's 25 now and you would never know she had had any trouble when she was a baby. I hope this was helpful.
