7-Month Old Having Body Spasms?

my boy does this thing where he gets what i can only describe as goose bumps up his back and his head shakes real fast, when he goes to the bathroom. My adult bro gets the same thing even now!

At thr very least you should tell his pediatrician about these "spasms". I would prpbably just make an appointment and take him in to be safe, as it could be some sort of infant seizure activity.

I am a mother of 4 children starting with the oldest who is 12 and the youngest who just turned 2. I don't ever remember any of my children having whole body spasms. It probably is nothing but I would probably call your child's doctor and see what they say. Better to be on the safe side. Good Luck.

C. S.

I would check and eliminate any reflux reactions to milk or other allergies

Hi Kellie,

I just wanted to advice you to at least call your doctor and tell them what is going on. They should tell you wether it's something he should be seen for or not. I always say, when in doubt always call your doctor/nurse. I have a 3 year old boy and a 4 mo. old girl and I always call when I feel something is wrong. It gives me a piece of mind that they know what they are talking about and I feel like if there is a concern they'll have me come in. I think you should do the same, specially if it's spams... it could be something very serious especially if his eyes roll back when this happens.

I hope this helps.

Hi KelliAnn H,
A friend of mine with twin 12 month old boys noticed what seems to be possibly the same symptoms in one of her boys. She took a video of it as it was happening and brought it to her babys doc. Long story short he is fine now. He was diagnosed with infantile spasm disorder and recieved therapy and drugs to control the attacks. He is a healthy 2 year old boy now with a very bright future. He was helped very early on before his brain could be effected. But if she hadnt taken that video as a spasm was in progress then the doctors never could have seen it for themselves. If you cant get it on video then write down everything you are seeing as it happens, how often etc. And I would call your babys ped. right away.

I would get your child to a doctor my niece was just 1 when she would stair into space and different times do the same thing and my sister took her to a doctor and found out she had small epaleptic sezures and was given medicine for it and it really helped herfrom the sezures he said with getting her so young in life she would grow out of it and she is noe in her 30's and no meds and no affects. This might not be your childs problem but better to not take the chance.

Kellie,
I would at least call the doctors office and get a nurses opinion. It's always better to be safe then sorry.

GO TO DOC! Friend of mine had a daughter who had minor spasms in her arm...turned out to be a brain aneurysm...she ended up being fine, but they said it could affect her development later (this happened a few weeks after she was born). It could be nothing, but I guess best to get it checked out, right?

Hello, K.!

Coincidentally, my 7 month old little girl does the same thing! It's actually a little funny as she shivers then giggles. It appears to happen when she is really excited -- in the jumperoo, when she tries new food -- and she laughs afterwards. She is completely coherent and seeming like she is enjoying herself and I really haven't questioned if it was a seizure. I'm going to call my doctor and see if they have heard of this. I am sure that she won't shiver when I take her in, so I guess the advice about journalling the occurrences is a good one. Once you've returned from your trip to the doctor, let us know what you've learned. Thanks for the good question!

Hi K., it seems you are getting some great advice here. I am the mother of the boy Denise C. was talking about. She emailed me about you today and I joined this website just to talk to you. (I live in NY) My advice to you is not only to get him to a doctor ASAP, but get him to a Neurologist, with a video and demand an eeg. You have to speak for your child, nobody else will. This could be some silly little thing he has started and I pray it is, but make sure that you are positive that is all it is. My sons pediatrician told us it was nothing to worry about but thought we should see a neurologist just in case, we ended up in the ER a few days later, one day before his neurologist appointment because I just couldn't shake the feeling something was not right. I was right. I stress the video to you because my son was seen by the best pediatric neurologist in our area and she told me had she not seen the video she would have sent us home and told us to return in 2 weeks for a repeat eeg, wasting valuable time. His video has been presented over and over in our local hospital to educate students and doctors alike. An eeg, is a simple NON-INVASIVE procedure where they will put small wires on his scalp with cream. Holding him still is the hardest part, doing it right before nap time works for us. One little 10 minute eeg can rule out any worry, and he can shake and shimy all he wants and you will know you have done all you can to be sure you precious little guy is fine. If you would like you can reach me at ____@____.com, I will be happy to call you and share my experience with you. My son is now seen by the top Pediatric Neurologists in the Country in New York City and doing wonderfully!

Neurologist
Video
EEG

You're always best calling the dr. Don't wait and maybe be sorry later. We as moms know if something is worrying us, ask the dr. What if it were more than chillywilies? An electrolight imbalance in his body???? Who knows? Just check it out. You'll feel better.

My son always had the "shivers" when he went pee and I think he still does now at 12. I would still talk to your doctor though!

My son started doing the same thing but younger. They were seizures. Please go to your doctor soon, do not wait and do not be put off.

my daughter started having full body muscle spasms at 3wks old and then she began having seizures a few weeks later i took her to the doctor and discovered she had infantile muscle spasms, partial complex seizures (epilepsy), and hypertonia --static encenopathy.she has been in p/t, o/t, s/t therapy since then. i would take videos and go see a neurologist.your son could be having seizures or could be having just muscle spasms. the neurologist will need to know if there was any complications in the pregnancy and the time of day and type of spasms he is having. if you need anymore info feel free to email me.
good luck.

I use to do it frequently when I was a teenager because I wouldn't use the bathroom at school. So when I got home I realllllly had to go and I would get a shiver down my spine when I was just about done.

I have been watching my neighbor's kids for over a year now and the little girl does that from time to time. She's 20 months old now, but she will do it and has done it for awhile at times when she eats and when she goes potty on the toilet.

I don't think it is anything to worry about. If it is then I guess you can survive it because I'm 40 now...still kicking and screaming. :)

I would think you should take him to the doctor for this. It could be minor seizures or absolutely nothing. But since your son is too young to communicate what he is feeling, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Good luck.

I concur with the other mom, go see your doc, don't wait for his 9 month well visit either. i have not seen this shiver type response out of any of my kids until they started using the potty, and it was only after going pee, and still infrequent at that.

I've read that seizures can be so mild that it only appears as if the baby is staring into space for a brief amount of time.

good luck, I hope your little boy is ok, and it turns out to be nothing... but better safe than sorry.

Not that I know it is anything at all, but I would definitely take him to the doctor if you think it is unusual. A video would be helpful for the doctor to see, since your son will probably not do it conveniently at the doctor's office for you. As a first time mom with a 7 month old, you should not be afraid to call the doc.

Get him to the dr!!!!!!!!!
J.

Hello. I just saw you called the dr for an appointment. I hope it goes well and no problems. However I can tell you that my daughter who is now 20 months old has a severe seizure problem. There are many different types and some are barely noticable. My daughter has 5 seizure types. What you describe COULD be myoclonic seizures (I call these "jerks" of an arm, leg or both, etc but it's quick). Also Infantile Spasms is possible. You may want to ask your dr to rule out it being a seizure. They can do an EEG which is VERY invasive. They put electrodes on the head and wait for the child to go to sleep while they track it. It can't hurt to check. But I hope it is nothing. Please keep us updated as to what the dr says. You can email me if you have any questions at ____@____.com
mommy to 4 kids. 2 boys ages 7 and 6 and 2 girls ages 20 months and 2.5 years. My youngest has some health issues. She was born with a congenital diaphragmatic Hernia, has chronic lung disease, post ECMO, severe weight gain issues, severe seizure disorder but she is so happy and normal it is amazing!!!

I would definitely call your doctor about this. If you can, try to videotape a few of these instances while they are occuring as it would be very helpful for your doctor. Also, if you are wondering about possible seizures I've seen some helpful videos on youtube (my son has had seizures in the past).

My brothers baby boy is going through something similar. It turned out to actually be seizures. They dont know what is causing them. All his tests came back normal. All I can say is this started after his immunizations (shots) and my sister-in-law is now holding off on amymore shots until he hopefully grows out of this. The more and more we researched the negative side effects of the mmr shot and dpt etc. the more we learned about the thousands and thousands of babies who have had negative side effects from these shots, including nerve, and brain damage. No dr. will ever admit to this of course. Do the research. Of course there are way many more babies who are fine after their shots, but what about the ones that aren't? Nobody wants to be one of them.

That doesn't sound normal to me. I think it is always better safe than sorry. I would take him to the doctor and do some research on-line...be careful with that though b/c sometimes that can get us all worried.

Check with a good doctor :)

S.

I would check with the dr. It could be seizures. There are many ways a seizure can look. Definetely let your dr. know. Seizures run in my family so I know a lot about them. It also could be just going potty in the diaper, but you never know.

My oldest son would have them when he was around 5-7 months old. I noticed it more when he would eat especially and I noticed he did it in his sleep sometimes. It would last 2-3 seconds (but would feel like a minute). I took him to the doctor and he said that it was completely normal. It had something to do with his breathing that I recall (it was 8 years ago). They eventually stopped.

Hang in there. I would just give the doctor a call to put your mind at ease.

This is not normal. I would call your doctor immediately if you haven't already.

I will pray for you and your son.

Many Blessings

To be sure it isn't a seizure, I say call the doctor immediately!!!!

Could it be a seizure?

I personally don't have experience with infant spasms but I would contact your doctor. My thinking it is always better to be safe than sorry. It could nothing but it's good to get medical attention especially if you are concerned about it.
C.

My daughter had them when she was 24 days old. Come to find out they where seizures! SO def. take him to they doctor, It's not something to ignore. My daughter only had to be on meds for like 6months. They did every test possible on her and nothing came up. The seizures stopped on their own after the medication.

I would call the Dr. immediatley!!!!

if your concerned it warrants a trip to the dr. perhaps its chills or when you fall asleep you have that spasm but make sure its nothing more serious- like a seizure. Which I dont think is common in children this age but I would definately have it checked out if your concern.

My son is now 21 months old and he used to do the same thin, it started when he was 5 or 6 months old. I took him to the doctor because it was really scaring me and they told me that babies have an immature nervous system and sometimes this happens. I have also heard that peeing can cause it though. My son did it for about two months and then it stopped and he's been fine ever since. I think it is something they grow out of.

I Have 5 children with friends also with large families I have never heard of this. I would first keep a log with dates and times asa wellas the activity and I would call your doctor right away. The nervous system is nothing to mess with. It might be normal but like i said I have NEVER heard of this. Please keep me posted. Hope everything is ok

K.,

I would like to make a suggestion to you. Please keep a little journal about the times of day, the length of these body shivers, and his enviornment when this happens (and is there a tv on when this happens). I think you need to share this with your doctor. Is he able to focus on you and respond to your voice when it happens? This could be nothing, but I would feel better hearing it from a doctor.
Best wishes,
L.

If I were you I would call the doctor. No, most kids do not have these spasms. I have 3 children, 5,4 and 2 and never experienced it. It may be something temporary or that he'll grow out of but, meanwhile, get it checked out.

Glad to see that you got to the Dr and hopefully this will all clear up real soon. Take care!

Hi K.,

Does your son seem to be in pain? Does he cry when this happens? If this is painful or troublesome for him, go to the emergency room. My DD had incredibly painful body spasms and it turned out to be an intestional blockage, called intussussception (sp?)After a barium enema and an overnight stay in the hospital for monitoring and rehydration she was fine.

If it doesn't seem to bother your son, perhaps you can continue to monitor and record the circumstances in which it happens for a week or so and then call the doctor. The information you can provide the DR after tracking for a week may help with a diagnosis.

good luck!

D.

I have never heard of this and would call and visit your doctor immediately.

First time Mama.
If ever unsure take the baby to the doctor. Always better safe then sorry.