Newborn Seizure Symptoms

A seizure occurs when an electrical surge disrupts activity in some or all of the brain. It can be caused by numerous factors, including a condition such as epilepsy, a high fever or a head injury, and can last anywhere from less than a minute to a half-hour. It can be frightening to see someone, especially a newborn, having a seizure, and even more frightening if you don't know what is happening to your baby. If your baby is having a seizure, it's important to stay calm and seek medical treatment if necessary.

Unresponsiveness

• Some newborns who are having a seizure will become unresponsive or start staring vacantly for the duration of the seizure. A baby having a seizure will not be able to snap out of this state.

Unconsciousness

• On some occasions, babies having seizures may fall into unconsciousness. This may happen in conjunction with an episode of twitching or convulsing. It's important to note, however, that most seizures do not result in unconsciousness.

Falling

• On some occasions, babies who have seizures will go limp, resulting in a fall or slumping over.

Twitching

• For some newborns, a seizure might be characterized by a series of twitching movements or muscle spasms.

Flailing

• Flailing movements, or wildly moving the arms and legs as though the baby has no control over them, are sometimes signs of seizures in a baby.