• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

Seizure Disorders in Babies

December 10, 2010 by ds_65371 Leave a Comment

While certainly scary, seizure disorders in babies are not as uncommon as many would think and, in many cases, do not necessarily mean that your child is going to have to struggle with seizures his entire life. If your infant has experienced a seizure, there could be an assortment of causes at the root, ranging from nearly benign to potentially serious.

Increased Seizure Vulnerability

During the first years of your child’s life, he will experience substantial brain growth. As the Epilepsy Foundation reports, your child’s brain at 5 to 6 years of age will be four times the size it was at birth. Because your child’s brain is changing so much during this period, she is at an increased risk of experiencing a seizure.

Common Baby Seizure Causes

Infant seizures can be attributed to an assortment of conditions or disorders. These disorders include newborn illness, abnormal brain development, genetic disorders, febrile illness, encephalitis or meningitis. Because so many issues could be at the root of your child’s seizures, determining the cause often proves challenging.

The Testing Process

If your child experiences a seizure, his pediatrician will likely subject him to a battery of tests. One of the most common tests that doctors administer to determine the cause of a seizure is an MRI. An MRI test consists of a brain scan through which doctors can identify any brain abnormalities, potentially determining the cause of the seizures. Another common test given as the result of a seizure is a lumbar puncture. In a lumbar puncture test, your child’s doctor takes a small amount of fluid from his spine and tests this fluid for infection, as some serious infections cause seizures in babies.

Potential Treatments

As The Epilespy Foundation reports, medication is the most common treatment for seizures. Prescribing medication for seizure prevention to a baby often proves challenging, as it can be difficult to determine the proper dosage. If your child is prescribed medication, you may have to take part in a period of trial and error to determine the proper medication and dosage. Some seizures in infants can be controlled by diet modification. If your child is found to suffer from an epileptic syndrome, his doctor may prescribe a ketogenic diet in an attempt to reduce the prevalence of his seizures.

Four Potential Outcomes

Seizures in infancy will result in one of four possible outcomes, reports The Epilepsy Foundation. In one outcome, your child’s seizures will stop on their own after a few years. In the second, your child’s seizures will be effectively controlled by medication and eventually cease to occur. In the third, your child’s seizures continue, uncontrolled, for the rest of his life. And in the fourth, your child will require medication for seizure control for the remainder of his life.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Parenting

About ds_65371

Erin Schreiner is a freelance writer and teacher who holds a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University. She has been actively freelancing since 2008. Schreiner previously worked for a London-based freelance firm. Her work appears on eHow, Trails.com and RedEnvelope. She currently teaches writing to middle school students in Ohio and works on her writing craft regularly.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

It’s One of Those “I Suck” Days…

Do you ever just have one of those I suck days? I do - a … [Read More...] about It’s One of Those “I Suck” Days…

Must Have

winter

Pre-Holiday Must-Haves

"It's beginning to look  a lot like Christmas..." The … [Read More...] about Pre-Holiday Must-Haves

Did you know?

How Early to Take a Pregnancy Test

How Early to Take a Pregnancy Test

Painful Intercourse During Pregnancy

Painful Intercourse During Pregnancy

what causes baby hiccups

What Causes Baby Hiccups?

Negative Effects of Single Parent Homes

The Negative Effects of Single Parent Homes on Children

can you get pregnant on birth control pill if you miss one day

Can You Get Pregnant on Birth Control Pill If You Miss One Day?

Breast Pains & Pregnancy

Breast Pains & Pregnancy

How Long Can Cupcakes Be Stored After Baking

How Long Can Cupcakes Be Stored After Baking?

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2021 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.