Seizures in infants can signal serious trouble, but she looked perfectly healthy otherwise.
The tiny and rosy 6-day-old girl moved strangely on the bed, like an awkward teen at her first school dance. Her arms jerked rhythmically, twisting the soft bunny-and-flower-print blanket surrounding her.
As we prepared to draw some blood to check for potential causes, Sophie’s left arm began to twitch. Soon, her entire body was racked with convulsions, her arms and legs shaking, her eyes rolled back. Her mother stood by tearfully as we drew up a dose of medicine to stop the seizure. Yet before we could administer it, Sophie calmed, her arms and legs relaxing as she regained consciousness. Her mother scooped Sophie up to snuggle her.
Most of an infant’s calcium stock is provided by the mother through the placenta in the last trimester of pregnancy. After birth, infants have a natural drop in their calcium levels within two days of age. Their levels then rise as they begin to get calcium through their diet, and their calcium-regulating hormones begin to function better. Yet Sophie’s calcium wasn’t rising as expected.
We get vitamin D from two main sources: in the food we eat or supplements we take, as well as through sun exposure. With the latter, the UV light interacts with a precursor molecule in our skin to convert it to the vitamin. A proper supply of vitamin D is essential to maintaining normal levels of calcium.
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