Shaking of the chin, hands, or feet (tremors) in an infant

The birth of a baby is always a joy for young parents. Naturally, all the attention of the mother and father is focused on the child. They can't get enough of how well he eats, sleeps and smiles back at them.

1. Causes of lower lip tremor in babies
2. Complications and consequences of tremor
3. What measures should be taken if a baby’s lower lip is shaking?

But when the baby starts crying and the parents notice their lips trembling, they become alarmed. Therefore, we will look at why a newborn’s lower lip is shaking.

Causes of lower lip tremor in babies

Often mothers notice that their child’s lower lip shakes when the baby is at rest. And here the parents begin to panic. The thought immediately pops into their head that their little one is seriously ill with something.

Tremor is a shaking associated with involuntary contraction of the mental, triangular and quadratus muscles of the lower lip. Now let's look at the reasons for the formation of tremors from the norm and pathology.

1. Response to stimuli (cold, stress, loud sound, sudden influx of bright light).
2. When a newborn is stressed, an uncontrolled amount of norepinephrine is released from the adrenal cortex, which enters the bloodstream. NA causes vasospasm and contraction of smooth muscle tissue.
3. An underdeveloped central nervous system is unable to regulate the baby's movements.

Among the stressful situations why a newborn's lower lip shakes, one can highlight: bathing, intestinal colic (pain), the moment of changing clothes, a state of hunger, and ordinary fatigue.

1. Involuntary muscle contraction at rest.
2. Joint trembling of the chin and lower lip, limbs, head.
3. Frequently recurring tremors.
4. After three months of age, trembling becomes more frequent.

The causes of pathological tremor are:

• prematurity (in premature children, trembling is observed up to 1.5-2 years);
• stress during pregnancy;
• developmental disorder of the peripheral nervous system (PNS);
• increased ICP (intracranial pressure);
• increased blood sugar in a newborn;
• maternal diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy;
• birth trauma (long, protracted labor; injury received when the head passes through the birth canal);
• Polyhydramnios, infections during pregnancy and a deficiency of essential microelements and vitamins (in particular Mg and B vitamins) can cause disruption in the development of the central nervous system (hereinafter referred to as the CNS) of the fetus.

The child does not sleep well at night, the child grinds his teeth (bruxism): a behavioral feature or a disease?

Getting a full night and daytime sleep every day is a very important condition for the development of mental functions of a preschool child. If your child begins to have trouble falling asleep and wakes up frequently, you should take this as carefully as possible. We are engaged in restoring normal sleep in children. Correction or treatment depends on the causes of sleep difficulties and is determined during a consultation or after a scheduled examination, if necessary.

How long should a child sleep?

Sleeping mode

. A child's normal sleep should proceed without interruption, without episodes of agitation associated with screaming or crying during sleep. The normal duration of falling asleep is about half an hour; if it lasts more than 30 minutes, you should pay attention to this and find out the reason. It is normal for a child to wake up early on weekends according to the routine adopted on weekdays. It is desirable that the biorhythm of the child’s life coincides with the biorhythm of the geographical time zone in which he lives. It is provided in nature that when it is dark outside, a person sleeps, and at dawn he wakes up, the same rhythm corresponds to the children's regime. For a preschooler, lights out should be no later than 10 p.m. It is not always possible for schoolchildren to maintain such a regime, because the load received at school increases disproportionately to the physiological capabilities of the children. But still, for the harmonious growth and development of a child, it is necessary to strive to adhere to the regime and have at least 8-9 hours of sleep. For a child under 10 years old, a sleep duration of 9-10 hours is absolutely normal and healthy.

Many children approaching school age refuse to sleep during the day; this is not always a violation of their sleep patterns; for some children, with a full night's sleep, the need for daytime sleep disappears. Provided that the lack of daytime sleep does not entail a change in the child’s well-being for the worse. One more aspect must be taken into account that for children under 4 years of age, daytime sleep is vital, since during this period of life the neural structure of the brain is actively being built and good sleep contributes to the most efficient functioning of the brain in the future.

Sleep consists of several stages (divided into phases). Complete rest, restoration of the nervous system, active metabolism and immunity occur mainly in the third and fourth phases of sleep. These phases are achieved only in night sleep, subject to timely falling asleep, sufficient duration and depth of sleep, and the absence of night awakenings.

A situation where a child does not sleep at night or
has difficulty falling asleep for a long time, often gets up, asks for something to drink or eat, or invents different activities for himself just to stay awake, can arise for many reasons.
Main reasons :

• increased intracranial pressure (ICP);
• increased level of anxiety;
• a stressful situation or excessive nervous tension in response to something;
• neurosis;
• excessive workload of the child at school;
• increased convulsive readiness of the cerebral cortex (recorded on the EEG);
• pain in the abdomen or other area of ​​the body, itching, worms.

Behavioral factor.

It arises due to the attention deficit of adults who work all day and come home late, without devoting enough time to their child. As a result, the child falls asleep for a long time, because he wants to make up for the lack of communication with his parents and feel their physical and emotional presence next to him.

High level of anxiety in a child.

When a child cannot fall asleep, but having difficulty falling asleep, he often wakes up or sleeps shallowly, as the stress mechanisms of the nervous system continue to work, including defensive reactions and not allowing the child to fall asleep deeply.

The child screams in his sleep, walks, talks in his sleep.

Sleepwalking (somnambulism) is a state of incomplete awakening. At the time when the child should enter the deep stage of sleep, the process of brain inhibition occurs, but the process does not affect all areas of the brain, i.e. part of the brain remains awake or wakes up in the middle of the night. As a result, the child can sit up in bed, stand up, walk, scream, express emotions and even talk without waking up. Sleepwalking in children is usually quite treatable.

The child grinds his teeth in his sleep

. The main age when bruxism occurs is the period from 3 to 6 years. The peak of manifestation occurs at the age of five, when molars begin to erupt. The cause of teeth grinding can be difficulty breathing due to adenoids, ear or toothache and nasal congestion, abdominal pain and, in general, any physical discomfort.

Lack of adequate sleep can lead to serious problems for a child’s body. Such as a disorder of the nervous system, weakening of the immune system, disruption of the body’s usual mode of operation of all internal organs. It is necessary to treat your child's sleep as carefully as possible. Restoring normal night sleep in a child is, as a rule, a completely doable task.

treating a child who is not sleeping well first.

:

1. Consultation with a pediatric neurologist. Typically, during the consultation, the cause of the sleep disorder will be clarified and treatment can be selected.
2. If there are suspicions about chronic night pain anywhere, skin itching, nasal breathing problems, we will offer help from a doctor of the appropriate profile.

Complications and consequences of tremor

Physiological tremor does not pose any danger to the health of an infant. After 3-4 months after birth, trembling of the chin and lower lip disappears and no longer bothers either the child or his parents.

As for pathological tremor, here things are much more complicated. Prolonged and frequently recurring tremor is the first alarm bell indicating neuropathy. Involuntary contraction of the muscles of the chin, lips, upper and lower extremities, and head may indicate the presence of perinatal encephalopathy in the baby.

This pathology may include various disorders of the central nervous system that arise as a result of intrauterine development. If you consult a doctor in a timely manner, the disease can still be treated.

If the tremor of the lips and chin is not caused by neurology, then it is necessary to undergo a set of examinations to determine whether there is a deficiency of Ca and Mg in the baby’s body, and diabetes mellitus.

When to see a doctor

Short-term tremors - no more than 10 minutes before the age of 3 months - are almost normal, and usually go away without consequences. However, it is worth telling your doctor or nurse about this. Cases in which you should be wary:

• Trembling does not go away after 4 months;
• The neck trembles, the head twitches;
• The child sweats, areas of the skin turn blue;
• Trembling occurs in the complete absence of stress or overexcitation;
• The child was born premature and there was hypoxia during birth.

It is better to consult a neurologist at an early stage and rule out the disease or take it under control.

What measures should be taken if a baby’s lower lip is shaking?

Above we discussed why a newborn’s lower lip shakes. Now let’s look at how parents should act in such a situation. When a pathological tremor has been identified in an infant, a neurologist will treat it.

When an infant’s lower lip and chin shake under stress, you need to do the following:

1. Do not panic and do not jump near the baby shouting “Oh!” and “Ay!” The baby needs to create a cozy and comfortable environment. Better yet, kiss the little one!
2. Get rid of the cause of stress (turn off the music, turn off too bright lights).
3. If you have the opportunity to breastfeed your baby, then you need to continue in the same spirit. No mixtures!
4. Control your sleep patterns. Feeding, sleeping, and waking the child should take place at the scheduled time.
5. Walk with your baby in the fresh air for at least 3 hours.
6. Pay attention to the baby's clothing. It should not allow the child to overheat.
7. Feel free to harden your baby by wiping him with a towel.
8. Massage.

After visiting a neurologist, you may be prescribed a relaxing massage and sea salt baths. The massage procedure can be carried out either in a clinic with a massage therapist or at home.

The massage itself should not last more than 10 minutes.

Knowing all this, you shouldn't panic. If you are concerned about tremor of the baby's lower lip, contact your local pediatrician, who will prescribe an examination if necessary.

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Any unusual behavior of a baby frightens young parents. When a newborn's lower lip trembles, they may panic. After all, he is so small and vulnerable. How to understand what is happening to him? The first thought that appears is that the child is cold. The mother takes the child in her arms and tries to warm him up. In the mother's arms, the baby often calms down, and his lips stop trembling. But there are times when a baby’s chin shakes in a warm room and in the mother’s arms. It is difficult for parents to find an explanation for this. This means that something is wrong with the baby and he is sick. Is this condition a sign of a disease?

Prevention

The main preventive measures come down to pregnancy planning and preliminary treatment of diseases of the expectant mother. Together with giving up bad habits and a calm lifestyle, they help prevent lip shaking.

If a newborn exhibits a symptom, it is necessary to create an environment in which he will be protected from a surge of strong positive or negative emotions.

To do this you need:

• maintain a daily routine and take frequent walks;
• protect the child from bright lights and loud sounds;
• surround it with a cozy and calm atmosphere;
• continue breastfeeding, but do not apply to the breast when the mother is in an excited state;
• carry out preparations for walks and hygiene procedures calmly;
• Give your child a massage to relieve muscle hypertonicity.

If a newborn's lower lip or chin often shakes, massage will help calm him down and relieve tension. Contact of
the newborn's skin with the mother's skin, gentle stroking, carrying the baby in a kangaroo, soothing warm baths help reduce the severity of the symptom and reduce the newborn's reaction to irritants.

Physiological causes of chin tremors in infants

Trembling (tremor) of the chin is often observed in very tiny children. Typically, a newborn's lower lip will quiver when he is excited, cries a lot, is very upset, or is in pain. At this moment, his arms or legs may also tremble.

The cause of this condition is usually the imperfection of the baby’s nervous and endocrine systems. When he is scared or angry, his adrenal glands produce stress hormones - adrenaline and norepinephrine. The baby’s adrenal glands have not yet adjusted their work, so more hormones are produced than necessary. Excess hormones literally burn the baby's muscles, causing them to contract. But this condition passes quickly enough as soon as the baby calms down. Therefore, the tremor often disappears after the mother takes the child in her arms. The baby is calmed by contact with his mother's body.

Most children develop trembling of the chin or lips in the first months of life. It is considered normal for tremors to appear after prolonged crying, physical activity or emotional overexcitation. A baby may become overexcited after playing for a long time or due to a prolonged lack of sleep.

But why does a newborn's lip tremble when he is calm?

Muscle hypertonicity

Sometimes a baby's shaky chin appears even when he is calm. The cause of this phenomenon may be muscle hypertonicity. This is a limitation of the voluntary motor function of the infant, caused by certain disorders in the development of the brain and peripheral nerve. With hypertonicity, the baby's muscles are overstrained. They remain tense even when the baby is in a relaxed state.

Other signs of hypertonicity are poor quality sleep (the baby sleeps little and poorly), increased irritability, frequent regurgitation after feeding, throwing back the head and unnatural arching of the body.

If you suspect hypertonicity, you can conduct an experiment. You need to take the baby under the armpits and place him on a hard surface, slightly tilting him forward. In this position, babies begin to instinctively move their legs, as when walking. A baby with hypertonicity will stand on his toes, while a healthy baby will stand on his entire foot. This is a classic diagnostic sign of hypertension and dysfunction of the nervous system.

Signs and manifestations

Trembling in the lower part of the face in a baby occurs most often during feeding or bathing, while crying, and sometimes during sleep. The movements are repeated quickly, the amplitude is small. May be accompanied by twitching of the limbs. It appears regularly, although there are no stressful situations, the child is simply overexcited, and the muscles are in high tone. Even feeding can be a factor that causes overstimulation. For children older than 3 months, it may be a sign of neurological immaturity.

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Other reasons

Muscle tremors often accompany in the first months of life those babies who suffered from oxygen starvation in the womb.

Oxygen starvation of the fetus is called hypoxia. It occurs when placental abruption, entanglement with the umbilical cord, in the event of a threat of miscarriage, or due to other disorders of placental blood flow. Fetal hypoxia can be caused by infectious diseases, polyhydramnios, or bleeding. Lack of oxygen affects brain development and causes tremors in children.

Chin trembling often affects children whose mothers were in a state of nervous tension during pregnancy. During pregnancy, a woman's body produces a lot of stress hormones. They penetrated the placenta and entered the baby’s blood. Maternal stress hormones could cause disturbances in the functioning of the child’s nervous and endocrine systems.

When should tremors be treated?

As a rule, lip trembling in most children goes away on its own by the age of three months. If at 3 months the baby continues to suffer from tremors, he may have developmental pathologies. A particularly alarming sign is tremor of the limbs and head, which does not weaken over time, but even intensifies. This indicates a clear neurological disorder.

This condition may indicate that the child has hypocalcemia, hyperglycemia, hypomagnesemia, sepsis, intracranial hemorrhage, or increased intracranial pressure. Therefore, the baby urgently needs to be shown to a neurologist.

It is also recommended to consult a neurologist if there is a suspicion of hypertension in the baby.

In addition to drug treatment, the doctor will prescribe therapeutic exercises and massage. Swimming is very beneficial for all children with tremors and other manifestations of nervous disorders. You can visit the baby pool or organize swims at home in the bathroom. Such procedures have an excellent effect on the baby’s nervous system and muscle tone. At home, you need to create a comfortable, calm and peaceful environment for your child.

Treatment

Conservative therapy

Therapeutic tactics are determined by the nature of the underlying pathology, the symptom of which is trembling. Some conditions, such as neonatal tremor, go away on their own and do not require medical intervention; in other situations, specialized care is necessary. Usually the emphasis is on complex drug correction:

• Etiotropic.
  It is possible to eliminate the infectious causes of trembling with antibacterial and antiviral drugs. To reduce the severity of hyperbilirubinemia in newborns, tinmesoporphyrin is used. Elimination of drug-induced parkinsonism is achieved by transferring the patient to atypical antipsychotics.
• Pathogenetic.
  In the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic disorders, vasoactive agents (vinpocetine, pentoxifylline), antihypoxants and antioxidants are used. In case of hydrocephalus, diuretics (furosemide, mannitol) can be used to reduce the production and improve the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid; for intracranial hemorrhages, hemostatic therapy is indicated.
• Symptomatic.
  Treatment of parkinsonian tremor is carried out with levodopa, dopamine receptor agonists (pramipexole). Neuroleptic tremors are treated with amantadine and anticholinergics (trihexyphenidyl). In cases of severe familial tremor, beta blockers (atenolol, sotalol) are used; in resistant cases, botulinum toxin injections are used.

The traditional method of treating kernicterus is phototherapy, if it is ineffective, exchange blood transfusion is practiced. The consequences of perinatal damage to the nervous system and cerebral palsy require complex neurorehabilitation - with physiotherapy (myostimulation, electrophoresis, reflexology), massage, exercise therapy. Special devices (orthoses) are used, and children are recommended to work with a speech therapist or psychologist.