Babies: 0 - 3 Months

twitching while sleeping

My newborn has been twitching in his sleep...it's usually one side of his body.  It can last a few minutes....it's not constant when he does it, just lasts awhile with little breaks in between?  Anyone else?  I mentioned it to the dr. and he said it was fine but still worries me because of how long it lasts. We see another pedi on Wed and I will ask her too. Anyone else's :LO do this and what were you told?  Thanks a million!

Re: twitching while sleeping

  • Mine twitches, grunts and groans while sleeping and our Ped said it was totally normal too but he didn't really expand on the subject. I wonder what others will say too...
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  • Butting in here but my 21 month old does this and has since birth. usually a few minutes after he falls asleep he startles or twitches just once and thats it. Not sure if it's similar to what your LO is doing but thought you might like to know.
  • It sounds like you are describing "startles" very common in preemies and newborns. It's no biggie - just a jerky jerk that looks like they're spazzing out for a few secs. They'll grow out of it.
  • nattnnattn member

    It's really hard to say without seeing or feeling the twitching. A lot of babies do have amounts of twitching that is completely normal. Is there anyway you could maybe tape it to show the pedi on Wednesday?

    DD twitches in her sleep, but it's when she startles herself. My friend just had a baby though and his twitching is almost seizure like. She's worried about it and I honestly don't know if she's talked to the pedi about it yet. I've never felt a baby twitch the way her baby does.

  • It;s more than a startle reflex...it's not constant for a few minutes but it will be one side of the body that will go on and off for a few minutes. From what I have read seizures is when you loose consciousness,etc and it's not that.  I can wake him up and it starts.  Some things I have read said it's an immature nervous system, etc.  We will see what dr. says Wed.
  • While I was still in the hospital one of my nurses told me that newborns had a habit of "startling" themselves while they were sleeping. She said that was one of the reasons why swaddling can help them sleep better, because it keeps the baby from waking him/herself. My daughter does this, she's constantly moving around in her sleep. She seems quite content and it's honestly very cute to watch. :)
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