BABY FLOPPY
A generalised lack of muscle tone in a newborn infant is an uncommon problem, but may be a sign of serious
illness.
If the baby is floppy, and not moving arms and legs spontaneously a serious viral or bacterial infection caught
before birth from the mother, or in the first few days of life, may be responsible.
Malnutrition in the mother causing poor nutrition of the baby, or poor nutrition of the baby after birth (often due to
failure of breastfeeding), is another cause.
Other less common causes of a floppy baby include cerebral palsy (spasticity), Down syndrome (mongolism),
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, myasthenia syndromes, muscular dystrophy (failure of muscle
development), Werdnig-Hoffmann disease (inherited progressive muscle wasting), Duchenne muscular dystrophy
and other disorders that affect the nerve control of muscles.
Babies fed honey contaminated with dust containing Clostridium botulinum are affected by the toxin produced
by these bacteria, which results in muscle weakness.
Abnormalities of body chemical control may also cause weak muscles or poor muscle tone. Examples include
rickets (lack of vitamin D), glycogen storage disease (inability to use sugar effectively for energy) and
aminoaciduria (protein chemistry disorder).
See also FAILURE TO THRIVE; FLOPPY BABY SYNDROME
BABY HAIR
See LANUGO
BABY MEASLES
See ROSEOLA INFANTUM
BABY MILK
See BOTTLE FEEDING; BREASTFEEDING; WITCH’S MILK
A generalised lack of muscle tone in a newborn infant is an uncommon problem, but may be a sign of serious
illness.
If the baby is floppy, and not moving arms and legs spontaneously a serious viral or bacterial infection caught
before birth from the mother, or in the first few days of life, may be responsible.
Malnutrition in the mother causing poor nutrition of the baby, or poor nutrition of the baby after birth (often due to
failure of breastfeeding), is another cause.
Other less common causes of a floppy baby include cerebral palsy (spasticity), Down syndrome (mongolism),
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, myasthenia syndromes, muscular dystrophy (failure of muscle
development), Werdnig-Hoffmann disease (inherited progressive muscle wasting), Duchenne muscular dystrophy
and other disorders that affect the nerve control of muscles.
Babies fed honey contaminated with dust containing Clostridium botulinum are affected by the toxin produced
by these bacteria, which results in muscle weakness.
Abnormalities of body chemical control may also cause weak muscles or poor muscle tone. Examples include
rickets (lack of vitamin D), glycogen storage disease (inability to use sugar effectively for energy) and
aminoaciduria (protein chemistry disorder).
See also FAILURE TO THRIVE; FLOPPY BABY SYNDROME
BABY HAIR
See LANUGO
BABY MEASLES
See ROSEOLA INFANTUM
BABY MILK
See BOTTLE FEEDING; BREASTFEEDING; WITCH’S MILK
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