Neonatal Seizures

Question: neonatal seizures.......? My daughter started having seizures at 6 days old. They occurred only in her sleep and consisted of arm twitching, starting in the right arm and progressing to the left, and occasionally her legs as well. They last anywhere from 2 minutes to 6 minutes, but on a couple of occasions lasted 20 minutes. She was admitted to the hospital at one week of age and underwent an EEG and ultrasound, which both came back normal. They also ruled out any metabolic disorders. The doctor started her on phenobarbitol when she was 9 days old because the seizures were getting much more frequent. We were discharged from hospital after 5 days and referred to a pediatric neurologist. The seizures have stopped since starting the medication. The neurologist has diagnosed her with a condition called benign neonatal sleep myoclonus, which is a type of epilepsy that occurs in newborns due to an immature nervous system. She will likely outgrow it but is still on mediction until she is 3 months of age. There is a chance that it won't go away, and could develop into epilepsy Has anyone experienced this with their newborns? How long did it take for them to outgrow it? Did your child have any other problems or developmental delays due to the seizures? Did it develop into epilepsy as they got older?

Answer: I'v no idea, but I'll star this and hopefully one of my contacts will be able to help you. I hope it goes away. :-)

Question: My son had hypoglycemia seizures during neonatal period,resulting low vision&delay milestone,sugest treatment. My son, Mt Sushrut, had hypoglycemia seizures, during neonnatal period.Today he is one year old , but still can't sit, can't hold things by his hands.MRI scanning done,report says vission atropy(Damage in rear portion of the Brain in the vision cortex).Councelling done, described delay milestone.please suggest the desirable treatment.

Answer: This happen to my little sister but thank god no after damage. I jsut remember her going into the mild seizure, my mother began freaking out and the first thing I did was grab the syrup. Put that **** right into her mouth and she snapped out of it. When there not eating enough, especially younger children because they haevn't really obtained the ability to hold the sugar like we have, they have these short seizures at times, give 'em somethin like syrup that has sugar, or even a little everyday to help prevent these small seizure outbreaks. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for optic atrophy. Once the nerve fibers in the optic nerve are lost they never heal or grow back. Therefore, the best defense is an early diagnosis because if the cause can be found and corrected, further damage can be prevented, like blindness. I do know that there have been studies with steroids but its controversal

Question: Anyone with experience with neonatal seizures? My daughter was born last Friday, full term (right on her due date). The delivery was fine, no epidural or pain meds and everything was fine. A few days after her birth, we noticed she was twitching uncontrollably, primarily starting in her arms but occasionally legs as well. We saw a pediatrician on Friday and he admitted us to hospital for observation and tests. Blood tests have ruled out any metabolic disorder and we just had the EEG and ultrasound of her head this morning. The twitching started out occuring once or twice in a 24 hour period, but have increased in frequency and duration in the last day and a half. The doctor has started her on phenobarbitol. The epidoses occur only while she is sleeping, and so far we have only noted a minor drop in her oxygen levels once. The only way to stop them is to wake her up. Has anyone experienced anything like this with their newborns

Answer: Not with a newborn. But I have seen it in my firneds( older around 5th grade) She had the same problem as a baby, then it stopped, and it started agian during 5th grade(i don't know about now). Try seeing more then one doctor; I think the medications may make it wores over time, as my friend for example.

Question: my newborn is having seizures! I just gave birth to a handsome boy. He was breathing but not crying and displaying some odd movements. They took him to the nursery & established that he is having neonatal seizures. The pediatrician was very professional, not exactly reassuring....but didn't explain himself well. He is being transferred to another hospital where he can be seen by a neonatal neurologist. Has anyone been through this? What was the outcome?

Answer: They will load him up with anti-seizure medications (Phenobarbital or Dilantin) which will stop the seizures and make him pretty sleepy. Then they will do an EEG and probably an MRI to try to find the severity of the seizures and the possible cause. The Neurologist will analyze the MRI scan and the EEG results and discuss with you the findings and the plan. How was the baby born? Vaginal delivery? Vacuum or forceps or anything? Anything unusual about the pregnancy or delivery? There can be many causes for neonatal seizures. Take a deep breath and ask lots of questions. I'm sorry you and your little one are going through this.

Question: Infantile spasms...? Anyone with experience? My daughter started having seizures when she was 6 days old. We were admitted to the hospital for testing and observation for 5 days. Her ultrasound and EEG were normal, but her pediatrician diagnosed her as having seizures. She was put on phenobarbitol when she was 9 days old. We saw a pediatric neurologist about a week ago (she's now 6 weeks old) who diagnosed her has having benign neonatal seizures, and said she will most likely grow out of them by 3 months of age. There is a chance that it could evolve into something more serious, such as epilepsy. Has anyone had an infant with this? What was the outcome? Did they outgrow it, and when?

Answer: Well not my son but my husband yes. Something went wrong while he was being born and didn't get enough oxygen to his brain. He started to have seizures about that time as well. They put him on meds. His did grow to epilepsy. It's ok though, I know it's scary but they can be controlled by meds and if they are a person can live a very normal life. My husband has to be on meds the rest of his life for his epilepsy and if not then he will have seizures. He lives a very normal life with me and our son. So even though your daughter may have or end up with something like epilepsy just know that it will be ok. Sometimes they can outgrow it yes so keep that positive outlook as well. Good luck, I wish you the best.

Question: Goat kids nearly 2 months old dying - need help? We have lost 4 and have 2 on the verge of dying. We thought it was neonatal diahrea because of the weather but now are not so sure. The babies have a drunken gait, eyes then get cloudy, then they get a paralysis, seizures, now unable to stand. One of the two remaining was like this last night - we gave her some antibiotic and she seemed fine in the daytime but went back to paralysis this evening. Both goats seem very near death.

Answer: Unfortunately it can be very hard to find a good goat vet but in this case I do think that is your best option. There are a few different goat illnesses that cause the symtoms that you are describing. Here you can find a list of the most common ones: http://www.jackmauldin.com/diseases.htm Good luck and I hope you can get this figured out in time and save your remaining kids.

Question: Why do women formula feed knowing the risks? I am not talking about those women who can't do it because of medication but the ones who do it because they just don't want to. There are so many risks involved with formula feeding. Formula feeding accounts for up to 26% of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in children. Otitis media (middle ear infection) is up to 3-4 times as prevalent in formula-fed infants. US Formula fed infants have a 10 fold risk of being hospitalized for any bacterial infection. One sudden infant death for every 1000 live birth occurs as a result of failure to breastfeed in western industrialized nations. For every 1000 babies born in the U.Ss each year, four die because they are not breastfed. Scores on the Bayley Mental Development Index were lower in formula-fed children at 1-2 years of age. Scores were directly correlated with the duration of breastfeeding. Formula fed preterm infants had lower IQ scores (8 points) at age 7-8 years than breastfed premies, even after adjustment for mother's education and social class. Composition and contamination of infant formula Due to an excessive phosphate load in formula, formula fed infants face a 30 fold risk of neonatal hypocalcemic tetany (convulsions, seizures, twitching) during the first 10 days of life. Formula fed infants are at a high risk of exposure to life-threatening bacterial contamination. Enterobacter sakazakii is a frequent contaminant in powdered formula and can cause sepsis and meningitis in newborns. http://www.breastfeedingtaskforla.org/AB… http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1999/07… This site has even more risks involved. http://www.babyreference.com/InfantDeath… http://lactation.spaces.live.com/blog/cn… Because I am concerned that children who are formula fed will not be as healthy or as smart as breastfed babies. Some of the risks associated with formula feeding: For Infant and Mothers 1. Increased risk of asthma 2. Increased risk of allergy 3. Reduced cognitive development 4. Increased risk of acute respiratory disease 5. Increased altered occlusion 6. Increased risk for infection from contaminated formula 7. Increased risk of nutrient deficiencies 8. Increased risk of childhood cancers 9. Increased risk of chronic diseases 10. Increased risk of diabetes 11. Increased risk of cardiovascular disease 12. Increased risk of obesity 13. Increased risk of gastrointestinal infections 14. Increased risk of mortality 15. Increased risk of otitis media and ear infections 16. Increased risk of side effects of environmental contaminants For mothers 1. Increased risk of breast cancer 2. Increased risk of overweight 3. Increased risk of ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer 4. Increased risk of osteoporosis 5. Reduced natural child spacing 6. Increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis 7. Increased risk of stress and anxiety 8. Increased risk of maternal diabetes http://www.duematernity.com/subr.html Again, I am not talking about those who physically can't. But those who just CHOOSE to even though they can. And what about milk banks? It took me about 2 minutes to find these facts and studies. And if I were to suddenly not be able to breastfeed, then I would use my stored milk I have in the freezer. Or I would go to a milk bank and buy some. I never said that breast fed babies are going to be healthier than formula fed ones. Babies can be sick either way. However the evidence shows that more formula fed babies are sicker than the breast fed ones.

Answer: Why are you asking such a loaded question? Really, all you are looking for is to start arguments. I formula feed because it was what was BEST for my son. Yes I was on a medication where I couldn't, but I couldn't have kept going anyways because he is allergic to cows milk protein and had severe reflux. The only thing (and YES I've tried everything else) to keep his formula down was thickening formula. No I couldn't thicken my breastmilk straight out of my breasts obviously and pumping just made my nipples bleed- and you can't feed a child bloody breastmilk. I pumped for a 1/2 hour and got not even an ounce. I LOVED breastfeeding but it just couldn't work. Some people do it for reasons I did (not my medication reasons because even if I was not on it I could not do it, he needs it thickened and needs hypoallergenic formula). But some women do it for the convience, some do it because of working schedules where they cannot continue to breastfeed and some just plain old do not want to because the thought of it bothers them. All in all though, you don't really have the right to ask a woman that question in the wording that you did. Maybe if you worded it differently (such as WHY do women choose not to breastfeed) and left it at that, it wouldn't have been as bad. Sorry if I took your question personally and I can tell from things you said that it wasn't your intention to attack people but its just a question that was better left unasked in my opinion. Oh and PS, formula fed babies are JUST as smart. My sister was formula fed and is in the process of getting her PhD. She is one of the most intelligent people that I know. Formula fed babies go to Harvard too, you know.

Question: Did anyone have a really sick baby? Has anyone had a really sick baby or maybe a prem baby that ended up in NICU and still wanted to have more children? I initally wanted 3-4 children but I gave birth to my son 2 weeks ago, had him home 2 nights before he started having brain seizures due to low blood sugar. He went for 30 hours having visable brain seizures and also ones we couldn't see, mostly on the left side of his brain. The doctors eventually found a drug that stopped his seizures and then we had to wait a further 8 days for him to come down off those medications/sedatives (about 4). We're home after spending only 10 days in Neonatal intensive care unit after initially being told we could be there for months (he's a little fighter). His follow up MRI showed marked improvement on his initial MRI but there is some brain damage there, they can't tell us if this will be permanent and to what extent. What I want to know is are there any mothers out there who had a sick child and how did you get over feelings of blame/guilt and not ever wanting to have more children as the heart ache of watching him fight for his life was so difficult?

Answer: Wow sounds like his mum and dad are fighters too xx Give it time, you've had a pretty rough introductory to motherhood, very hard for a first time mum. I'm so sorry for you and your husband but I'm sure your little baby will do just fine as he grows bigger and stronger now that they have the seizures under control. I am glad to hear that the MRI has improvements from his first one, that is good news. Our first baby, now 5 years old, was a very difficult baby. she always cried, never slept, had severe reflux to the point where even the doctors said that it was the worst they've seen in an infant. She was basically failing to thrive and still no one could really help us. She was diagnosed at 6 months with pulmonary stenosis and a heart murmur. Still no one could put a name to anything. At age 1, my husband and i thought to ourselves, well we've survived the first 12 months, at least we know what to expect now, lets see if we can do it again. By 2 years old, she still couldn't talk and was still so very tiny. Her 1st sister was born and a week after that we finally got a diagnosis, she has williams syndrome. She is now 5 years old and starts school next year. All the time when she was a baby, I always blamed myself because I didn't know what was wrong with her, it must have been me because I was a first time mum. Having this diagnosis, took a huge amount of stress off both myself and my husband. It has certainly opened our eyes up to just life in general I guess where we now just basically take one day at a time. That's what you should do. Take it slow and just be there for your son and your husband, they both need you and you need them. As your little one grows older and stronger, you'll see his little fighting personality shine through. I'm sure your doctor's will all keep a close eye on him and I'm sure you will all get the support you need to help you through this tough time. Don't think about having more kids yet, it's too soon and scars are still too fresh, wait and you'll know when and if the time is right. Here is a picture of my little girl now, I hope her smile makes you smile just as your little boy will make you smile too when he's older. God bless and I wish you all the warmest of wishes in the world. xx [IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/album… I would love to hear how your little one is going if you are able to keep us updated but only if you can :-) xxx

Question: Gardasil adverse reactions and death? Gardasil is a game of Russian Roulette and the benefits do not outweigh the risks. The severe adverse events are not rare, nor are they rare in any vaccine used. The US FDA and CDC have covered up the truth as to Gardasil. Of course they can not admit their mistake, as well as in regard to all the other drugs they approved and needed be recalled due to the endless damage they caused. Why should they be trusted by anyone. The VAERS reporting system does no include for the most part the endless 100's of posts by girls having seizures, no end to extreme headaches, tingling, numbness and paralysis, vison blacking out and speach difficulties after the shot and many have not recvovered from disability and weakness. All this for a shot that is not known how long the alleged protection my last, and for a virus that 90% of cases clear naturally by the immune system and cause no adverse effect. There are cases of warts on even the face hands and feet and new precancerous indicators in previously non sysmtomatic indviduals that had an active case of HPV prior to vaccination. The FDA knew about this in their preapproval VRBPAC document and approved the vaccine anyway, based on that it was required of Merck to study this further and report back by a date in 07. I can not find any report on that through the FDA or other source. To date the FDA and CDC claim the vaccine is safe and affective, and the deaths and damage can not be proven due to Gardasil. Go on the net and search for the articles and personal stories form these girls and mothers. many girls have a bad reaction to the first shot, but just because a girl didnt have one, many times the second and third prove to be a worse outcome each time for reactions and disability. This is all for huge profits. What about the infertility affects that were seen in female neonatal rats, when injected with polysorbate 80, and ingrediant in Gardasil.This was in a higher dosage but exactly what amount would that take to have a similar outcome in a 9 year old girl? Obviously if you still support use of this vaccine you have not even read what I wrote, or disregarded it. This sort of disability and death should be discounted over vaccine that may only provide immunity to 4 strains of HPV for maybe as much as limited to 5 years or less? Maybe you need to have done the weeks and weeks of reading every article I could find on the net, including hundreds of posts by those girls adversely affected and disabled by this vaccine? How can anyone think the benefits still outweigh the risks? This vaccine by the FDA's own preapproval meeting VRBPAC document admited concern over observation that Gardasil wordened existing cases of HPV, and also precancerous indicators were still seen in other HPV types, calling on Merck to do more study. Many cases out there of break outs of warts on the face hand Read the artcle Polysorbate 80 and Histidine, a marriage of disaster, at cynthiajanak.com. Read the studies on what polysorbate 80 did in female neonatal rat studies

Answer: Don't get the shot. Little girls, teens, and other women don't need it. The FDA wont reveal the real problems with their drugs. And the side effects aren't worth it.

Question: Do you believe that it is better for a newborn to be with his drug addicted mother because, because she? gave birth to him? Surely, just the threat of having their newborns taken from them if they continue doing drugs will get them into rehab & recovery? And surely every expectant Mum goes for monthly check-ups...how isn't the problem sorted out then & there? Why can't they just be put into a detox program to save their babies? This is so terribly sad & wrong...babies entering the world addicted...thru' no fault of theirs... London, Aug 17 (ANI): There has been a drastic increase in the number of babies born with drug and alcohol addiction problems in Scotland.According to the Scottish Sun, one in every 264 newborns in Scotland now suffer withdrawal symptoms as a result of junkie mums abusing deadly substances from heroin to cannabis.One in every 98 pregnant mums have admitted that they put their unborn child's life at risk by taking drugs during pregnancy, new figures unearthed by us show. Scots Labour leader Iain Gray called for junkies who shoot up in front of their kids to have their children taken off them."If a child is fending for themselves to survive, and people around them are having sex and taking drugs in front of them, I think that is not an acceptable way for the child to be living," the Sun quoted Gray as saying. "At the heart of the existing system is a presumption that it is better for the children to be with their mother and their birth family. That is wrong," he added. There is 20 per cent risk of babies dying from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS).Although a majority recovered naturally without medication, others are forced to through a painful withdrawal that can last four months.A child suffering from NAS can experience tremors, high-pitched crying, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, sweating, seizures, delayed visual development and wobbly eyes. Nationally 65 per cent of drug-using mums-to-be are taking heroin and methadone, while 29 per cent use cannabis and 11 per cent knock back sedatives such as Diazepam and Temazepam. Most of the babies we treat have been exposed to heroin or methadone and need oral morphine to treat them," said Dr Helen Mactier, a consultant neonatologist who studied drug-dependent pregnant women at The Princess Royal Maternity in Glasgow. "It can take anything from 24 hours to a few days for a baby to detox from heroin and months for babies to detox from methadone," she added. Edit: Bear, then why did they get pregnant & choose to have the baby? They seem to be lost...no one will intentionally harm a life growing inside of you...which is part of you. They need help & if they don't take that help, their babies need the help...away from their helpless Mums. zzzzz

Answer: Im sorry but this makes me sick to my stomach. Anyone who knows me will know already I have a pathalogical hatred of junkie scum anyway but these pathetic women who drag their helpless babies (thats helpless babies not mums Faith xx) shold be totally ashamed. Has anyone ever seen or heard a newborn detoxing from crack? Cos I have and it is the worst sound ever. I am actually crying as I read your question as it is the one thing that makes me both sadder and madder than anything. Its selfishness of the highest extreme