Most parents, when a long-awaited baby is born, are constantly listening and looking at any changes in their behavior. Often these experiences do not have a serious basis, but require some control. One of the conditions that causes anxiety in parents is trembling of the limbs and facial muscles - tremor.
What is tremor?
Tremor in newborns occurs during the first days of life and should disappear by the age of three months. This condition is observed in every second baby, because at birth the nervous system is still far from perfect. A child can respond to any external stimulus with twitching of the head, limbs, chin. Typically, this condition occurs during the REM sleep phase, intense arousal, or stress. After excluding the stimulus, the tremor disappears.
Physiological causes of chin tremor in newborns
In the first three months of life, tremors in newborns occur due to the fact that the nervous and hormonal systems are not fully formed. If the chin shakes in the newborn, any discomfort can become the cause - cold, heat, stomach pains, hunger, and sometimes wet diapers. Twitching can occur with any emotional overexcitation - fear, loud sounds. If you notice chin tremor in newborns during feeding, this is not a cause for concern, since pleasant sensations also provoke emotional stress. Newborn children every day learn a new world around them, and each event of the fragile nervous system is perceived as a little stress. For example, chin tremor in newborns when crying occurs due to physical stress.
With the strengthening of the nervous system and the improvement of hormonal tremor in newborns, it disappears. This usually happens after 3 months. But it is worth noting that in premature babies this condition can last longer, since their nervous system is even more immature, and for its full formation it may take a little longer.
Pathological signs of tremor
It happens that the chin tremor in newborns does not pass even after three months of life, becoming longer. In this case, we can talk about the pathological condition of the nervous system, which requires immediate treatment.
Symptoms after which you need to see a doctor as soon as possible include:
- convulsive trembling of the whole body;
- tremor of the head ;
- lethargic, moody state;
- limbs and chin tremble for no reason;
- the frequency and duration of trembling do not decrease with time, but become longer;
- the skin turns blue during the attacks and perspiration may appear.
Causes of Tremor in Newborns
If chin tremor is observed in newborns, the reasons may be not only in the imperfection of the nervous and endocrine systems. The causes of pathological trembling and trembling are sometimes disorders of the central nervous system and brain. The following conditions can lead to this:
- intrauterine infection;
- polyhydramnios during pregnancy;
- nervous stress during pregnancy. In this case, the hormone norepinephrine (produced by the adrenal gland in stressful situations) enters the fetal blood through the placenta, thereby causing malfunctions in the development of the nervous and endocrine systems;
- weak labor activity;
- prolonged labor;
- premature birth;
- placental abruption;
- fetal hypoxia;
- cord entwining;
- smoking, alcohol, the use of illegal drugs during pregnancy.
Tremor treatment for newborns
If tremor is detected in the baby, parents need to monitor how often and under what circumstances this happens, so that at the doctor’s appointment you can provide a complete picture of this condition. It is recommended not to delay going to the hospital, as it is better to put the state of tremor under medical supervision even if it has a physiological, non-dangerous nature.
If chin tremor is detected in newborns, a neurologist prescribes treatment based on the individual characteristics of the baby.
Physiological Tremor Treatment
With physiological tremor, only corrective treatment is required:
- First of all, you need to find out under what circumstances the condition of tremor is manifested most of all, and try to exclude the irritant.
- All daily procedures - feeding, bathing, changing clothes - should be carried out slowly, in a warm room, in a calm atmosphere.
- To create a pleasant calm atmosphere in the house, because children are very sensitive to the emotional environment.
- Try to keep around the baby there are no loud sounds that can scare him.
- Observe the daily routine.
- Feed the baby on demand.
- Physical contact with mom is very important. If the baby is crying, grab him in his arms and gently rock.
- A neurologist can prescribe therapeutic baths with herbs that have a sedative effect - motherwort, valerian, mint, and chamomile. But first you need to make sure that there are no allergic reactions.
- Swimming. It is very important to conduct it measuredly in warm and comfortable water, avoiding diving.
- Gymnastics - bending and unbending legs and arms, slow head swaying.
- A relaxing and firming massage. It is worth remembering that any massage can be started when the child is 6 weeks old. Gentle but energetic rubbing, stroking, kneading, vibration are used. You need to make movements from the bottom and lead up. Do not stroke the spine and liver area. No need to do a long massage, because the child may be tired. Many children do not tolerate the touch of a stranger. If the baby cries a lot with a masseur, there will be no therapeutic effect, but the state of tremor may increase. In this case, the mother is recommended to undergo a couple of massage lessons in order to be able to do it for her child on her own. Be sure to talk with a calm voice. These actions will strengthen the nervous and muscular system of the child, enhance blood circulation in the organs.
It is recommended to undergo examinations by a pediatric neurologist at 3, 6 and 9 months, when strong growth spikes and development of the child’s nervous system occur.
Treatment of pathological tremor
If during the examination a neurologist noticed a pathological tremor, then, based on the baby's condition at the moment, an individual treatment program will be selected.
One of the most common causes of this tremor is oxygen starvation. In such cases, the doctor prescribes drugs that saturate the brain with oxygen and normalize the functioning of the nervous system.
It is very important to follow all the doctor’s recommendations. Then the child’s recovery comes very quickly.
In some cases, a surgical treatment may be required.
What is the danger of tremor in newborns
If no treatment for chin tremor is used in newborns, the consequences can be very serious. Situations when such a condition is not treated can lead to the occurrence of diseases such as:
- retardation of mental and physical development;
- increased intracranial pressure;
- acute infectious processes in the body;
- encephalopathy;
- hyperglycemia;
- impaired intelligence.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to note that each parent must understand the degree of responsibility for the health of their baby. If you notice that the chin, limbs or head is shaking in the newborn, you need to say so at the first doctor's appointment. Do not skip scheduled examinations with a pediatric neurologist and insist on a full examination at the slightest suspicion of the pathological nature of this condition. In this matter, the time of contacting a specialist can play a big role in the recovery of your baby.
The condition of tremor becomes dangerous in rare cases, the main thing - do not delay with going to the doctor and follow all his recommendations.