Newborn leg tremors

[justmewithmylifetoday]

4 week old DS has what I can only describe as very jittery legs. Often one leg more than the other that will tremor, shake momentarily then stop. As far as I can tell it isn’t at any particular time and it’s when he’s awake.

He spent 2 days in special care when born and during that time we noticed he was jittery all over so they tested his calcium and magnesium as a precaution and results came back normal. The all over jitteriness improved within his first week.

He does seem quite windy and does seem to struggle with this so wondered if it could be due to that.

I know newborns are generally jittery due to immature nervous systems but feel like this specific leg spasm bothers me.

I appreciate I am potentially being overly paranoid due to him having a bit of a tricky start when born.

Any suggestions? Worth a GP visit or wait till 6 week check?

Sounds like ankle clonus which is perfectly normal in newborns and nothing to worry about. Your baby will grow out of it

My 10 week old has this, he’s slowly growing out of it x

My DS did this! I don't remember DD doing it so I was a little concerned, my DH is a HCP and told me not to worry about it. He was otherwise fine. He had his 6 week check and I mentioned it to the GP, she wasn't concerned. He eventually just grew out of it, I can't remember when. He's 5 months, I'm pretty sure it had completely gone before 12 weeks.

@Foreverbaffled

Sounds like ankle clonus which is perfectly normal in newborns and nothing to worry about. Your baby will grow out of it

Thanks for the replies everyone. Foreverbaffled I’ve had a look at Ankle Clonus and don’t think it’s that as it looks more like the ankle is vibrating? Plus ds stretches his leg out when it jerks,

@justmewithmylifetoday My sons leg tremors were identical to that and his foot/leg would vibrate when he stretched or I could elicit it if I pushed his foot upwards. I was told it was ankle clonus by a Consultant Neurologist (although obviously I don't know what your babies is like so forgive me if I'm wrong!) Either way I was reassured it is perfectly normal and I'm sure your babies is too whether clonus or not

This sounds exactly like my son had. He grew out of it after a while.

Thank you @Foreverbaffled that’s reassuring. Have tested pushing his foot upwards and it doesn’t happen then. Hoping it just disappears soon and is just one of those weird newborn things!

@justmewithmylifetoday

Thank you *@Foreverbaffled* that’s reassuring. Have tested pushing his foot upwards and it doesn’t happen then. Hoping it just disappears soon and is just one of those weird newborn things!

Ah babies are full of weird quirks! Always a worry but usually totally normal 🙂

If you put your hand on it does it stop jittering ?

@scatteredglitter yes it does. What does this mean?

Likely just normal. If it was a seizure it wouldn't stop.
Video it, and show it to your GP or Healthbnurse next visit but I wouldn't worry.
Make sure Baby is eating regularly, sleeping regularly and as they fet older give them opportunities for movement and development - kicking free in a baby mat, tummy time etc.

@scatteredglitter thanks for the advice will try and video it for our 6 week check if it's not gone by then will mention it. He's eating well and definitely sleeping well.

@justmewithmylifetoday did anything come of this. My 5 week premie ( by 4 weeks) has a wee leg tremor in sleep mostly but sometimes when awake. Too quick to film and when i hold it never continues or could just have stopped

Yes totally normal. My eldest and youngest had this and just grew out of it

Can anyone tell me how long q beat is when measuring clonus? I read anything above 10 beats is abnormal but what is a beat? A second or a jerk? My newborn def has this and it lasts a few seconds each time

Each flex and retraction of the foot is counted as one beat. The internet is full of misleading information on clonus. DS2 had sustained clonus (up to 40 beats at a time) and has totally grown out of it now.

Thanks @Foreverbaffled . I'll mention it at 6 week checkup but that has eased my ned lotjer neurosis for now at leastv😢❤️👍

I spent most of the first year worrying about it too _@Olahaha2021. There is a great thread on the babycenter boards called “Twitchy foot = ankle clonus” which has many many mums with babies with clonus and they all turned out fine. We ended up seeing a consultant neurologist who said that clonus is of no concern and just a sign of an immature nervous system. I trusted her completely as her specialist area was neuromuscular disorders like cerebral palsy. We had some other red flags admittedly but my son has grown out of all of them. He’s running around happily as I type 🙂

Thankyou @Foreverbaffled. I wish i couod just be ignorant to qll of this and enjoy my wee baby. The anxiety is awful isnt it? DR Google is awful. Glad all is well with your son . ENJOY XX

One more question @Foreverbaffled but do you mind me asking how yoir little one's milestones went after the clonus? I'm already obsessing that ly wee one can't hold her head up😭😭

@Olahaha2021 I saw your other thread and it made me so sad as you’re in exactly the place I was 18 months ago. It was an all consuming fear, especially as the internet is so definite that sustained clonus = cerebral palsy. You said your baby was premature? How premature? And always remember to correct age for milestones.

DS2 was on track with all milestones until a year when he fell behind with gross motor. This was brief though and he caught up again by 15 months. He walked on the later side of average but this is due to his hypermobility and not the clonus. He’s absolutely fine now and passes all the ASQ tests at 18 months.

Also they aren’t meant to be able to hold their heads steady until 4-6 months!

It's horrific rhe anxiety @Foreverbaffled . I think I have pna to be honest. HV ended up getting our daughter reviewed by consultant paed yesterday due to anxiety who assured me the clonus will go and that she had normal muscle tone and reflexes etc.she was not in the least bit concerned even when i showed iwed her the video of the sustained clonus. It's reassuring for now but I know I'm going to have a meltdown every mile stone that isn't met bang on. My DD was born at 36+4 and yes you are so right paed said yesterday to correct for this. Thank you for your positive story. Enjoy your family ❤️❤️ xx

It sounds like you might have PNA and I mean that kindly because I did too. Very badly. I’m only coming out the other side of it now. You have to be reassured by the professionals. Our consultant neurologist had zero concerns too, could not have been less bothered about the clonus. She’s a specialist in cerebral palsy and worked at Great Ormond Street for 10 years in that department so can be trusted. My DS came at bang on 37 weeks so although not technically premature I still corrected by three weeks 😘 Take care and try to enjoy your lovely baby x

Sorry I've only just popped back on here and seen the post notifications!

Update on my DS who is now 15 weeks old .. his leg tremors have significantly reduced and we only notice it once a day at most, sometimes not even every day. I still have some concerns about him and we now think he has Laryngomalacia. I'm also still keeping an eye on his muscle tone. Trying not to let the worry consume me and just enjoy him as he is (he is so lovely) and just deal with things as we get to them if any and not focus on everything being 'something'. Which is difficult to do with Google but Im trying 🤣