Beauty and health of teeth 

Baby's chin shakes when she cries. Trembling of the chin in infants: physiological and pathological causes

Many parents, noticing frequent and small twitches of the lips, chin, lower jaw, arms or legs in a newborn child, often wonder if these twitches (tremors) can be considered the norm. Tremor- this is a compensatory reaction of immature nerve fibers of the baby in the form of small muscle cramps that occur to stabilize the state of the nervous system. It can be physiological and pathological.

Physiological tremor small in its amplitude, it is rhythmic and often occurs during the crying of the child. With tremors in newborns, the lower lip or chin is more likely to tremble, and in rare cases, the arms or legs. Trembling can manifest itself asymmetrically and symmetrically. For example, one knob or both may tremble.

Distinctive features of physiological tremor are:
1. His rapid disappearance (after a few seconds);
2. Appearance after nervous tension (bathing in the bathroom, intestinal colic, crying, changing clothes, REM sleep phases or when feeling hungry, etc.).

Most often, physiological tremor appears in the first days of a baby's life, and gradually its episodes become more and more rare. The symptoms of tremor are especially pronounced in premature babies, because their nervous system is more immature than in full-term newborns. As a rule, physiological tremor completely disappears before 1-3 months of life.

Pathological tremor differs from the physiological one in that not only the lips, chin and limbs of the baby, but also the head are involved in the process of twitching.

Episodes of pathological tremors become longer over time and occur for no reason, and twitches become more intense and can spread to the whole body. The baby becomes more restless, moody and does not sleep well.

This condition of the child should alert parents and become a reason for a visit to a neurologist, since pathological tremor can be a symptom of neurological diseases and disorders (increased intracranial pressure, intracranial hemorrhage, hyperglycemia, hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia, perinatal encephalopathy, etc.).

The reasons

The main cause of tremor of the lips, chin, upper and lower extremities in a newborn child is the immaturity of some nerve centers of the brain and the high content of the adrenal hormone, norepinephrine, in the blood serum, which is responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses. Physiological tremor occurs in the majority (about half) of newborns under 1 month of age and in almost all premature babies.

The main predisposing factors for the underdevelopment of the baby's nervous system are: oxygen starvation and an excess amount of norepinephrine in the blood of the expectant mother. The reason for the development of such conditions can be a variety of factors:

  • fetal hypoxia during pregnancy;
  • stressful situations of the mother during pregnancy;
  • the threat of termination of pregnancy;
  • infectious diseases in the mother;
  • rapid childbirth;
  • cord entanglement;
  • trauma during childbirth.

Treatment

Physiological tremor The child does not require medical treatment. Neurologists recommend that the baby's parents carefully monitor the baby to find out the moments when he begins to tremor - at rest or with nervous excitement.

With pathological tremor treatment should be carried out under the strict supervision of a neurologist. After determining the cause of the tremor, the doctor may prescribe medications to treat the underlying disease.

In addition, such children are prescribed therapeutic exercises and relaxing massage. These procedures should be carried out by a specialist, he can also teach some skills to the mother of the baby. Swimming lessons give good results, as well as the creation of a friendly and calm atmosphere in the family.

Massage for tremor in a newborn

Massage for tremor in a newborn is recommended to start doing from 5-6 weeks of age. It is relaxing and restorative in nature and helps to strengthen the nervous system of the baby. Massage should be performed by an experienced massage therapist; subsequently, the mother of the child can also learn massage techniques.

Recommendations for massage with tremor in a newborn:
1. Ventilate the room before the session.
2. Hands should be clean, warm and dry, nails cut short.
3. The session is carried out at a time when the baby is in a good mood and is awake.
4. Perform the session on a flat surface, in a comfortable and familiar place for the baby (for example, on a changing table).
5. During the massage, it is necessary to talk with the child.
6. Massage must be stopped if the child cries or somehow shows his displeasure.
7. Do not use aromatic oils or baby powder for massage (you can use a cream familiar to the child).

For a relaxing massage, the following movements can be used:

  • stroking;
  • kneading;
  • trituration;
  • vibration.
Each massage session for a newborn should begin and end with stroking. All movements should be smooth and pleasant for the baby. Movement should be directed along the course of the joints (from the periphery to the center or from bottom to top). The force of pressure is determined by a specialist and, in the event that the massage is carried out by the mother of the child, he must definitely teach her this subtlety.

When performing a relaxing massage, it is important to follow a certain sequence:

  • first, the handles are massaged - the child’s handle is held with the left hand (by the brush), and stroking is performed with the right hand (10 times), gentle rubbing of each finger is performed, then the other handle is massaged;
  • chest massage - the palms of the hands are placed on the base of the neck and stroking down ("herringbone"), repeat 6-7 times;
  • tummy massage - the palm of the right hand is placed on the child's stomach and circular movements are made clockwise, performed about 10 times;
  • foot massage - performed in the same way as hand massage;
  • back massage - the baby, holding the arm and leg, is turned over on the tummy, stroking from the bottom up, then herringbone.
The duration of the massage and the types of massage techniques depend on the age of the child. For babies 1.5-3 months old, it is 4-5 minutes. The number of procedures is determined by the doctor, depending on the condition of the child.

Effects

Physiological tremor does not leave negative consequences for

In a tiny man who has just been born, only unconditioned reflexes work. The first 12-14 hours after his birth, the so-called imitation period or the period of imitative automatisms passes. This is a set of reflexes that the baby acquired while still in your stomach. There are quite a lot of them - grasping and swimming (and what do you think he was doing for 9 months?!), sucking and pupillary, etc.

A little man who has just been born has a certain set of useful skills.

Day after day, the baby will learn new skills and abilities. Something will be easy for him, something will have to suffer - not all organs and systems of the baby develop equally quickly and harmoniously. Some features of his growth, for sure, will cause your concern and anxiety, and thank God, they will turn out to be insignificant.

While growing up, there are plenty of reasons to worry.

In this review, we will discuss with you why the baby's chin is shaking. As far as this is the norm for a newborn, and at what age the baby should already be worried about this.

Why does a newborn baby's chin tremble?

Infant tremor (namely, its varieties include the shaking chin of the crumbs) is mainly due to the immaturity of its nerve centers and the adrenal medulla.

The child's body is going through a lot of stress, faced with external stimuli.

That is, in fact, the causes that cause the twitching of the cub's muscles can be of two natures:

  • neurological- the baby has not yet learned to coordinate his movements and reacts too violently to unusual external stimuli.
  • hormonal- the adrenal glands of the baby too "generously" release norepinephrine, the stress hormone, into the blood, which, again, overexcites its nervous system.

Sometimes the baby is not ready for some situations, which leads to a natural reaction of the body.

If we also take into account the physiological one, it becomes clear what colossal overloads it undergoes, not yet fully formed, organs and systems.

In what situations did you notice these manifestations in a child?

Surely, the tremor of a tiny chin does not accompany the baby throughout the day, right? At some moments, he is absolutely calm and satisfied, and no twitching does not distort the contented face.

As a rule, I am quite satisfied with life!

Most likely, a slight tic begins in a baby during a particular situation that gives him discomfort. Remember for yourself how many times, having flown out of the office of the authorities, after an undeserved dressing down, you tried to calm the trembling in your hands. This is how your nervous system responded to the injection of adrenaline. We inherited this reflex from distant ancestors - in case of danger, fight or run! And all the systems of our body come to full combat readiness.

Even the touching process of feeding is a source of new experiences for children.

The nerve centers of the baby simply do not have time to gather and respond properly to unexpected stress. And so far, almost everything is stressful for him:

  • cold;
  • bathing;
  • loud noise;
  • bright light;
  • flick;
  • hunger;
  • thirst;
  • bad smell.

Any phenomenon that excites the emotions of the baby can cause a twitch of the chin. During feeding (yes, for a baby, feeding is a very emotional moment), crying, tension, muscle twitching is observed in most newborns.

A born baby brings a lot of joy to his parents, but at the same time, he very often scares mom and dad. And one of the most common reasons for panic is that the baby’s chin is shaking.

Likely Causes

Why does the chin of the baby shake? There may be several reasons. And this:

natural physiology

The baby is born with a not quite formed organism. And the immaturity of that part of the nervous system that is responsible for coordinating and controlling movement in a child causes frequent chin trembling.

The situation is also worsened by the production of a special hormone - norepinephrine, which is responsible for the contraction of smooth muscles and an increase in blood pressure. It is produced in the adrenal cortex in any stressful situations for a person.

The adrenal glands of a newborn child react by producing this hormone with any, even the most insignificant excitement. And this combination - the immaturity of the nervous system and the active production of norepinephrine - causes the baby's chin to tremble.

If a baby born on time, the chin tremor may not be very active, but in premature babies, the tremor can be very strong.

Pathological causes

Certain conditions that occur during both pregnancy and childbirth can also cause a baby's chin to tremble.

Factors that can lead to chin trembling in the future include:

  • intrauterine infection;
  • polyhydramnios;
  • the threat of termination of pregnancy;
  • nervous stress in a pregnant woman (in this case, norepinephrine from the mother gets to the child, causing disturbances in the development of his endocrine and nervous system).

The cause of chin tremor can also be conditions in which brain hypoxia develops:

  • weak or too active labor activity;
  • entwining the child at birth with the umbilical cord;
  • premature detachment of the placenta, etc.

In all cases, the resulting hypoxia causes numerous neurological pathologies, which cause the chin to shake in the newborn.

Emotional component

The trembling of the chin lasts literally a few seconds and can be caused by negative or, conversely, positive emotions.

For example, bathing and feeding are always pleasant moments for a child. And they can also cause trembling of the chin.

The first days of life become a real stress for the baby. The baby is just getting used to the new world for him. At the same time, the child's nervous system reacts very actively to any stimuli, which, combined with increased muscle tone, causes chin tremor.

Pain can be an unpleasant condition for a child. And most often it is intestinal colic. But sometimes even such simple actions as ordinary dressing, hunger or just fatigue (in a word, any situation that can cause discomfort in a child) can cause chin trembling.

Making a general conclusion, we can say that the causes of tremor are any overexcitation of the nervous system. At the same time, such a condition occurs in newborn babies very often and is the result of either the emotional experiences of the child or physical activity.

There is no reason to worry if the baby has a slight trembling of the chin, ending in a few seconds. The tremor disappears after about the third month of the baby's life. But in premature babies, it can last a little longer and this condition does not need treatment.

When should you see a doctor?

If the baby's chin begins to tremble in a state of complete rest, then we are already talking about hypertonicity. This is a special condition in a child, which is characterized by an overstrain of the baby's muscular system.

In this case, the child must be shown to a specialist. Only a doctor, after examining a newborn, will be able to give specific recommendations on how to relax the muscles of the child.

As a rule, the baby is assigned to conduct several courses of professional massage, as well as to perform a complex of therapeutic exercises. In addition, it is recommended to take warm baths with the addition of various herbal infusions that have soothing properties.

The next condition that poses a danger to the child is the spread of tremor to the entire head. The baby should also be seen by a neurologist if the trembling persists after the baby is over three months old. Such symptoms may indicate that the crumbs have diseases of the central nervous system.

The next reason for the development of chin tremor in a child is stressful situations experienced by a woman during childbearing. Norepinephrine (stress hormone) at the same time passes from mother to child, causing deviations in the development of the nervous and endocrine systems.

Postponed hypoxia (lack of oxygen) is also a fairly common cause of a pathological condition, since with insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, its work is disrupted.

Treating chin trembling in newborns

If the chin continues to tremble without any objective reason even after the child is three months old, it must be shown to a pediatric neurologist. Only a specialist can identify the true causes of this condition, and prescribe adequate treatment.

The vigilance and anxiety of many mothers sometimes rolls over. When young parents notice that their baby's chin is shaking for some reason, a tremor of the arms and legs appears, they are seized by panic. Is there any real cause for concern?

Each person, under certain circumstances, noticed behind him that his limbs were shaking. Most often it comes from a strong excitement. As a result of hypothermia, a tremor of the arms and legs occurs, the lower jaw trembles, and when crying, the chin and lower lip.

Why do infants often shake their legs, tremble their hands? Muscle twitching is the result of excessive stress, overstrain of the nervous system.

Trembling of the arms and legs, head, lower jaw, lips, which begins as a result of external influences (cold) or when crying, is not a pathological condition if it disappears when the external stimulus is removed.

Tremor in a newborn baby

As a rule, up to the age of three months, the infant's nervous system is imperfect, as a result of which one can observe how his leg twitches, his arms shake, and when crying, his chin, lower lip, and jaw often tremble. It should be noted right away that if these symptoms quickly disappear after the baby has calmed down, then there is no reason to worry.

Head tremors may indicate certain neurological disorders that require appropriate treatment by a neurologist or neurologist.

Causes of tremor in infants:

  1. Physiological immaturity of the baby's nervous system.
  2. Preterm pregnancy.
  3. Complications during childbirth, such as rapid labor or prolonged labor.
  4. Complications during pregnancy: uterine hypertonicity, fetal hypoxia, etc.
  5. The stress experienced by the mother during the bearing of the child, her worries, fears. All this can affect the vulnerable nervous system of the baby.

As a rule, treatment is not required if:

  1. Tremor of the arms, legs, chin is observed in the baby until he reaches the age of three months.
  2. The chin trembles when the child cries.

When to sound the alarm

Parents of a baby should be alerted if:

  1. The child is shaking not only the hands, chin, but also there is a convulsive trembling of the whole body.
  2. Head tremor.
  3. The arms and legs of the child are trembling for no apparent reason.
  4. The general condition of the baby is alarming: he is lethargic, whiny, does not sleep well.
  5. As the child grows older, the tremor of the arms and legs does not go away, it becomes more pronounced.

Having noticed these symptoms, it is worth hurrying to the doctor, who, after examining the baby, will be able to explain why the tremor is present.

Don't worry

Children grow by leaps and bounds. Changes are noticeable every day in their development. The baby simply “outgrows” many of the symptoms. The nervous system matures, and, accordingly, tremors, regurgitation and other troubles are left behind.

  1. The child's chin is shaking before the age of three months.
  2. The baby quickly calms down, and the trembling immediately disappears.
  3. Against the background of trembling of the legs, the chin, there is no violation of the general condition of the crumbs.
  4. There are no other neurological symptoms.
  5. Chin, lower lip tremble while crying.

What to do

As a rule, treatment of tremor in children under 3 months is not required, but it is necessary:

  • Monitor the condition of the baby.
  • Analyze what factors are causing the child's arms, chin, lower lip, and jaw to shake.
  • Determine the presence or absence of other complications in the well-being of the crumbs, for example, sleep disturbances, tearfulness, mild excitability, trembling of the limbs and body for no apparent reason, etc.

  • Notify the attending pediatrician or family nurse that the baby's arms or legs are trembling, demand that the baby be examined by the appropriate specialists.
  • To create an atmosphere of calmness and goodwill in the house, since the psychological microclimate in the family significantly affects the health of children.
  • Massages, warm baths will also be useful, provided that the baby perceives them with pleasure.

Treatment of tremor in infants is carried out by a neuropathologist. Only an experienced specialist can prescribe the necessary drugs, monitor and, if necessary, adjust the treatment of crumbs.

But still

When it comes to the development of the baby, it is always better to play it safe once again, because lost time can significantly complicate the treatment of a possible ailment.

If a lip or chin shaking when crying does not cause serious concern, then the tremor of the legs and arms, which does not go away as the child grows up, should at least alert the parents and serve as a reason to consult a specialist. If necessary, appropriate treatment will be prescribed.

The kid, who pleased you with a smile, activity during wakefulness and a restful sleep, suddenly began to suddenly twitch more and more often in different parts of the body. You are worried about why he is trembling. And the pediatrician gives an explanation for this, calling everything that happens a tremor.

Let's figure out what tremor is in newborns.

Tremor as a medical problem

Involuntary trembling of individual parts of the body (limbs, head, lips, eyelids, etc.) is called tremor in medicine. It is considered normal when a healthy person has some trembling of the fingers or head. But increasing trembling is often a manifestation of various diseases.

Tremor can appear at different times in a person's life. Immediately after birth, children can also experience oscillatory movements of various amplitudes. Tremor in infants is expressed in trembling of the limbs, there is also a tremor of the head.

Features of tremor in newborns

Frequent muscle contractions are common to many newborns. According to medical statistics, almost every second baby is diagnosed with tremor. Noticing the shaking of the baby's chin or head, the mother should know that such a phenomenon can occur in the first months of life.

The instability of the nervous system affects the body of the crumbs, it begins to react with muscle contractions to the slightest excitation. A slight trembling of a child during a period when the nervous system is just developing, in babies from birth to 3 months, doctors do not perceive it as a pathology.

A slight twitching of the lips or lower jaw during this period of life can be taken calmly. Do not worry if the baby starts shaking hands or feet from time to time. You should know that the limbs can move simultaneously, in which case the tremor is called symmetrical.

Alternate, asymmetrical trembling of the baby's arms or legs is also considered normal. Tremor occurs as a muscular reaction to various procedures that lead to nervous tension. For example, when they start bathing a child, they change clothes when the baby is hungry or he has.

Muscle cramps with tremors are possible in a calm state, when the baby is sleeping, or, on the contrary, during excitement and crying. The convulsions last for a few seconds, then pass on their own. All this is not out of the norm.

The mother is required to monitor the condition of the baby, so that if convulsive movements increase upon reaching 5 months, immediately contact a specialist to start treatment.

When should a tremor alert?

Adults should be attentive to the behavior of the baby. Point out what should alert parents.

Signs of pathological tremor:

  1. In children, not only lips with a chin, arms or legs shake, but also the head;
  2. Convulsive trembling becomes longer and more intense;
  3. In a child older than 3 months, the tremor does not go away and does not become smaller, but on the contrary, the child becomes more excitable.

The most correct thing in this case is to consult a pediatric neurologist.

Why does a newborn have seizures?

Spasmodic muscle contraction, leading to trembling of parts of the head or body of the child, occurs for a number of reasons related to the formation of the nervous system of the baby.

Causes of baby tremor

Features of the nervous system

The nervous system of the baby, being at the stage of development, in the first weeks of life cannot yet ensure and control the full functioning of all organs. Tremor in a newborn indicates that a number of nerve centers have not yet been fully formed.

As they form, muscle cramps stop. That is why, great authority among the parents of babies, children's doctor E. Komarovsky, turning to close people of newborns, convinces them that you should not worry about trembling muscles, because this is normal for newborn children.

Features of the course of pregnancy

In cases of pregnancy complicated by bleeding, polyhydramnios, infectious diseases or threats of miscarriage, the development of the fetus also occurs with complications. In the womb, the baby experiences oxygen starvation, which affects the functioning of the brain. After birth, the hypoxia experienced by the baby can lead to tremors.

If the baby was born prematurely, the baby's nervous system, which did not get the opportunity to fully form, reacts sharply to a variety of influences. This reaction has an external manifestation in the form of a tremor.

Features of the course of childbirth

Does not pass without a trace and how the birth proceeded. If they were swift or, on the contrary, very long, this could cause convulsions in the baby. Complications such as detachment of the placenta, entanglement of the fetus with the umbilical cord lead to tremor. It also deprives the baby's brain of enough oxygen and causes tremors.

Why is tremor dangerous?

It is impossible to ignore the increasing twitching of the baby. After all, tremor signals the complications experienced by the infant's nervous system, which can result in serious consequences. Pathological trembling may be associated with intracranial pressure, intracranial hemorrhage, abnormally low serum calcium levels, too low magnesium levels, or elevated glucose levels. With the help of special diagnostics and tests, a specialist will be able to exclude serious diseases or, having confirmed them in an infant, prescribe timely treatment to alleviate the condition of the infant.

And if the cause of nervous trembling is that your baby's teeth began to appear, the doctor will also tell you how you can reduce the discomfort experienced by the baby.

How are tremors manifested?

Let's talk in more detail about the baby's muscle cramps, the reasons that cause these tremors. This will help mothers respond correctly to tremors in a newborn baby.

Lips, jaw (chin)

Unformed important organs (nervous, endocrine systems) and immature adrenal glands lead to trembling of the lips or jaw of the crumbs. This happens to most newborns. Usually there is a tremor of the lower lip or lower jaw. If you see that at the time of a tense physical or emotional state, the chin or lip of children is shaking, this is not considered abnormal.

This does not mean that the mother cannot help the baby with chin tremor in newborns. Check if you walked for too long and if the baby is cold, if he feels hungry, if he is comfortable in the clothes that you put on the baby.

Light, gentle touches and stroking will help to relax the muscles, relieving them of involuntary shuddering. Such a massage, performed by the caring hands of a loving mother, will help the child calm down, relieve the shaking syndrome.

Bathing and swimming will help enhance the effect. And if the child does not have an allergic reaction, try from time to time (systematically, but not too often, 2-3 times a week is enough) taking a bath filled with warm water with the addition of a decoction or, or.

limbs

Tremor of the extremities in newborns is also becoming a frequent occurrence. The child cries a lot, is frightened, emotionally agitated, and an excessive amount of the hormone, norepinephrine, is released into the blood by the immature adrenal glands. At the same time, the immature nervous system fails to cope with emotions. As a result, the arms and legs of the baby begin to shake.

Parents also encounter leg tremors in newborns quite often. If trembling occurs during the first three months of a baby's life, experts consider this to be quite normal. In addition to strong emotions, tremor of the hands and feet can occur as a result of physical exertion or hypothermia.

In the first weeks of life, parents may notice that the arms and legs of the newborn involuntarily twitch even at the moment when the baby is sleeping, and the sleep seems to be quite calm for adults. This also indicates that we are facing an immature organism, the formation of which will still continue.

The task of parents is to help strengthen the muscles and nervous system. Massage, which the mother of a baby can learn with the help of a video, swimming will become an effective help to a fragile body.

Professional doctors repeatedly mention that massage can have a positive effect on the well-being and condition of the child. To carry out the treatment procedure correctly, first watch a video with a masseur performing the procedure correctly. After that, you can start, just remember to follow certain rules.

  1. Do not start massage for tremors in newborns during the first month of their life. It is considered optimal to carry out the procedure with a baby older than 5 or 6 weeks.
  2. So that the procedure does not become an additional irritant for the baby, it should be carried out in conditions that are comfortable for him: in a ventilated but warm room, touching the baby with warm hands.

To achieve the effect, the following conditions must be present:

  • Carrying out massage on a hard surface covered with cotton cloth;
  • Gentle and at the same time quite energetic use of a variety of massage movements (stroking, rubbing, kneading, vibration);
  • Compliance with the rules “from the periphery - to the central part of the body” when performing movements: from the foot - to the inguinal zone, starting from the hand - to the armpit area;
  • You should not touch the following parts of the body: the liver - when stroking the baby's tummy, the spine - when stroking the back;
  • Compliance with the sequence during the massage: handles, behind the handle - chest - tummy - legs - back;
  • Do not try to make the massage very saturated. To make the baby comfortable, the whole procedure should take no more than 4-5 minutes. During this time, you will have time to massage each part of the body 7-10 times.

Such a procedure will not only strengthen the muscular and nervous system of the child, but will also be useful for the circulatory organs. Do not apply any special aromatic oils or special powder to the child's body. You can soften the hands and skin of the baby with a baby cream if the child is already used to it and does not experience an allergic reaction.

To add to the pleasure of the baby, do not be silent during the procedure. Talk to the baby, and children and adults get the same pleasure from such a procedure.

Now you know that tremors are quite common in newborns. Calmly treat the baby's muscle cramps and at the same time carefully observe him. Knowing that the tremor can go away on its own, you understand that it is possible to successfully treat the pathology if its symptoms continue for 5 months. To do this, you need to start treatment as directed in a timely manner, contact a specialist if the tremor does not disappear on its own in the fourth month of the baby's life.