Mum shares video of baby daughter having epileptic seizures to raise awareness of her condition
A condition like Adalind's can lay undetected for a long time
An Australian mum has shared a video of her daughter having an epileptic seizure to raise awareness of the condition.
When Sherie Judd, mother of Adalind Judd, discovered that her daughter was having infantile spasms, which are a rare form of epilepsy, when she was just five months old.
When they noticed their daughter's eyes were rolling into the back of her head while they were on holiday, they took her to hospital where she was diagnosed with the rare condition.
In order to inform other parents who might not realise the severity of the condition, Sherie decided to share her daughter's attacks on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/Onechickadeehere/videos/1944512079144144/
'Just under a year ago, our life changed dramatically when Adalind was diagnosed with infantile spasms,' said the mother on her Facebook page. 'Little did I know it was a medical emergency.'
On the conclusion of the tests, doctors diagnosed Adalind with West Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that affects just 30 - 40 babies in Australia.
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'Thankfully for us, I believe the nurse in emergency had had some experience with infantile spasms before, which is quite uncommon,' Sherrie said to nine.com.au.
According to Sherie and her experiences, a baby with the condition will see their arms and legs stiffen.
The baby may also fling their arms outwards during the attack.
They might let out a sharp cry that could be mistaken for the same sound of discomfort that comes from a child experiencing colic.
And if the spasms run in clusters undetected, they can lead to brain damage.
'The first two weeks (of the spasms) are quite crucial,' said the mother.
'But often the seizures can be so subtle that while the parents might be worried, they're not overly worried.'
Adalind suffers from two - four of the attacks each day, but is on medication which helps control her heart rate.
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