Why is my 2-month-old baby extremely agitated?

Question

Hello doctor,

My son is two months old. He is a normal, healthy baby. I have not had any trouble with him so far.

Sometimes, he will grunt and raise his knees to his chest when he has gas, but he has always been able to get a normal amount of sleep. Today, though he has been very agitated and alert all day, he has been kicking his legs and flailing his arms like crazy. Extremely agitated, I would say.

He was hungry and ate a reasonable amount (he is bottle-fed), but the rest of the time, he kept squirming and kicking. He has not gotten much sleep for 12 hours so far. He falls asleep and wakes up every five minutes, with startling reflexes, throws his hands in the air, and then starts to squirm and kick.

Then cries and weeps, and this keeps going. Sometimes, he just stares super alert and kicks his legs and arms for a long time. This is not a usual behavior. He occasionally has been like that, but not as much as today, and it never stopped him from sleeping.

His temperature is normal (rectal 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit). His food intake is normal. There is no vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. He never had colic.

He usually sleeps 12 to 14 hours per day (seven to nine hours per night). I am not sure about his problem. Can you help me?

Does this sound serious? Should I go to an ER, or is it likely something I can wait for?

Please help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

From your explanation, a few things are evident. This is probably your first child. We are talking about a normal, well-growing child with a weight of 13 lbs at the age of two months, which is very good. The behavior that you are explaining is known as the startling reflex. It is normal. In this phenomenon, the child might suddenly wake up from sleep in a startled state.

It is normal for a baby to cry or be agitated either before or after passing urine, stool, or gas, which may be the case in your child. The sleep cycle takes six months to become normal in children. So, we cannot comment on the reduced sleep behavior.

We cannot call this behavior a convulsion, as the child is alert. However, I need to see the baby during this activity to say that this is a convulsion. I doubt this is a convulsion, though.

Warning signs in children are lethargy, refusal to feed, convulsions, abdominal distension with vomiting, and non-passage of stools. Please be watchful for these signs.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you.