Looking Left

my best friend had the same issue with her son, and had to do some therapy/exercises with him daily. Forcing him to stretch his head the other way. If you don't fix it it will cause big problems later... so I'd say something and get it taken care of. Now everything is find for her son. good luck!

Take her to the doctor to be evaluated for this. It is not normal. This does not mean it is necessarily life threatening or life changing, but it is not normal and should be evaluated by a physician, preferably her pediatrician.

I agree with the PT.

I also think that Osteopathy is a wonderful way to work with getting the body and the muscles in the place they should be after birth. My Osteopath is Dr. Richard Armond (he just moved to suwannee, and I would go to TN for him :) ). Look him up at www.cranialacademy.org. It is amazing for many infants, and I have been able to clear up all types of pysical problems in my kids and myself. It is incredibly gentle and works over a period of months to completely rid you of the problem.

Best of luck. J.

Both of my babies did this around 2-4 months of age. My son is now 5 1/2 months and no longer does it. My daughter is now three years old, but she was a preemie so they recommended physical therapy for her when she was about 3 months old (they called it torticollis). I really think it just resolved on it's own- the physical therapy was a waste of time. If you still notice it at 6 months of age, talk to your doctor. She will likely only roll to her left when she starts rolling over, but I think by 6 months she should roll both ways.

I'd bring her to the chiropractor! My now 5yo was much like that when he was born and when he was about 2 months old I found a chiropractor and we have been going as a family regularly ever since then. My 2.5 yo was actually brought out of the house at 9 hours old to be adjusted and my 5 week old got his first adjustment at a little over 24 hours old when the chiropractor was able to make a home visit for us to adjust us both after a very long labor! it makes sooo much difference! I look at it this way now as much as I'm going through during labor so is the baby and they have the added 'pressure' of moving their head and neck to get through the birth canal birth is work and can really do a number on their poor cervical spines! in my little babies i can tell when they have to get adjusted again by the amount they spit up and just an increase in their fussy periods. Never again will our family be without regular chiropractic care!

I'd call developmental vision optometest Dr. Dylan Reach in Acworth to ask office staff.

Do you hold her or nurse her on just one side or position? If so, alternate her. When her neck gets stonger she'll be fine. I have seen this before.

Please contact the doctor soon. This could be serious.

A.,

It can be normal. My baby did this for the first few months and I was scared to death. I looked on here and on the internet and found the thing about torticollis (sp?) and freaked out. However, when I took him to the doctor, she said it can be pretty normal. It is very much like the torticollis (or however you spell it), in that their head has developed that direction. Remember, their muscles are brand new and learning very fast, if they were that way in the womb for a long time, or if they are turned that way by their parents, then it trains that muscle to be that way. I started feeding my son in the opposite direction (I found we always held him facing the same way --with his right ear towards us), and I also sat his bouncer the other direction and had noise (us or the TV) on the other side so he would turn in that direction.

BY ALL MEANS, see your doctor, but don't get too upset in the meantime because as opposed to what some have said, it can be just normal and can work itself out-- that is according to our doctor, and my son is 6 months and is perfectly normal with a full range of motion to both sides, up and down etc. You would never know that it had been that way. I also have a friend who's TWO boys did exactly the same thing, and she is the one who calmed me down. I think they just get used to having their head a certain direction and like I said, their muscles get trained to that position. Gently encourage movement, and ask at the next doctor's appt!

Good luck!

I would recomend a chiropractor. I have heard a number of stories about babies having issues like this that are directly related to the birth process and when treated immediatly have free range of movement of the neck. Our chiropractor is so good with the kids!

Sinserely,
K.

It sounds like it could be torticollis (sp?). It's something to do with the neck muscles. Exercises can be done with the baby- you'll be taught how to do them.
If this is what it is, you might also want to see if she is developing a flat spot on the back of her head- probably the left if that's where she is turning. This can be easily corrected by wearing a band on the head. The person you see to be evaluated for torticollis can point you in the right direction.
I don't know what could happen if not treated, but it is treatable. I've known several people who've had a baby with this condition and everything is fine now.
I do have experience with the band as my son needed one. He's a twin and we're 99% sure that he was born with a flat spot due to lack of room in the womb. The only thing he didn't like about it was having to get the mold made; otherwise, he was oblivious to the band. I think he looked kind of cute in it as it accentuated his cheeks.
Good luck to you and stay positive!
R.

My little boy did the same thing for the first few months. He just favored one side. In fact, the only time he really looked the other way was when I nursed him on the opposite side. His granddad nicknamed him "he who looks left." (ho, ho) Possibly, there was an imbalance in the strengthening of his neck/shoulder muscles that took some time and exercise to fix. I mentioned my son's preference for the left side to his doctor, and she just told me to turn his head when I put him down to sleep (muscles are most relaxed, etc) mostly because he might end up with an imbalanced head shape -- didn't seem to be concerned about his looking to one side. Anyway, suddenly one day he was looking both ways -- no problem. Lots of moms I know shared similar experiences. I see that several people recommended you ask your pediatrician about this, and of course you should if you are worried, but I'll bet that your little girl is just fine.

Yes, our boy (who by the way is 3 months old too) did the same thing. We took him to a chiropractor (he is our friend) and his neck was out. That was the problem. It's fixed now. Good luck!

We are going through the same thing with our just four month old. Our ped gave us some excercises to do, and they seem to really be working. He's doing better already. We go to his 4 month checkup next week to see if there is any further steps to take.
Don't worry though, just talk to your doctor.

A.-

Please contact your pediatrician, not a chiropractor!!
An infant should always be seen by the regular dr. before anyone else. My son was like that as well and I just thought it was normal for him to favor one side. The Pediatrician said he had something called Torticolis. I was referred to a physical therapist and had to do exercises with him for several months. He is now 7 yrs old and just fine. It sounds like the same thing he had. It was nothing major, but it needs to be addressed. The exercises were no fun and they hurt when I had to stretch his shoulders and neck, but it is not too hard to fix. In a couple of months he was looking both ways with ease.
You are welcome to e-mail me back if you have more questions about what I had to do with my son.

Good luck to you,
A.

Take her to see a physical therapist ASAP. It's called congenital torticollis and my daughter had it (she only looked left as well). Continue with therapy until they completely discharge her. This is VERY important.

My daughter had it and we brought her to a PT at 3 months old. My husband was in the military at the time and the therapist just told me to continue working on these few exercises at home...this was a HUGE mistake. While I worked on the exercises at home, I never fully resolved the issue (and I couldn't tell because to me it looked like she was looking both directions).
Anyhow, I moved to the Savannah area when my daughter was 10 months old and thank God...she was not crawling yet and when I brought her in to see Dr. Hobby (Pediatrics Assoc. AWESOME pediatrician)....he immediately asked me if she had a history of torticollis and suggested I get her evaulated by a physical therapist.

It took 3 months (she was 13 months) before she even started crawling. She did not walk until she was 18 months. She had speech delays that they said were partially in fault of the lack of development from the torticollis (partially it was ear infections as well but the torticollis contributed).

So PLEASE don't wait. If you're in the Pooler area or Savannah area I STRONGLY recommend Backus Children's Hospital...they have therapists in downtown Savannah or in Pooler near Cancun's (If you're interested PM me and I'll send you the phone #). Sherry was her physical therapist and she was absolutely amazing...so amazing that I wish my daughter could still see her weekly but she healed her.

So, I don't mean to freak you out...I just hate for another mom to go through the heart ache and frustration of having to do physical therapy for years and speech therapy also because of something that can be resolved early on. GOOD LUCK! :)

I'm another physical therapist and recommend contacting your MD as soon as possible to start any needed treatment. It sounds like it could be torticollis and the earlier it is caught, the easier it is to be treated. Some pediatric clinics have wait lists so get in as soon as possible and ask your MD for exercises in the meantime. good luck.

Does she have a pediatrician? She should be seen by her ped and a chiropractor could also help depending on what the pediatrician says. Torticollis can be helped/corrected by a reputable family/child chiropractor in addition to or in lieu of your pediatrician. I wonder if you mean that she actually turns her head and keeps it there or do her eyes seem to go that way. If it is just her eyes and it starts and stops then it may be neurological and warrant something as big as an MRI or other testing.

I would definately go to your pediatrician. Some babies do prefer one side and it's nothing more than a simple preference. But some babies do not have the range of motion they should and can not physically move their head to both sides. It's called torticollis. My son had this. I want to be sure to say that it is treatable. We were in physical therapy twice a month for about 7 months and they showed me lots of great neck strengthening techniques. They will make the decision on how often you need to go based on how bad the problem is. My son was diagnosed at about 6 weeks old so we caught it early. He is now 14 moths old and perfectly fine!

I would say one of the biggest things to look out for Plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) which can cause her head to look mis-shaped. This can happen to any baby (torticollis or not). Babies heads are so soft and moldable that they can get a flat spot if they lay on the same side of their head all the time. Sometimes it can become quite severe if not treated early. Have you ever seen babies/toddlers wearing a helmut? That is the treatment used to reshape the head. Flat head syndrome is avoidable by making sure you turn the babies position often and regularly. My son had torticollis and never had to wear a helmut and never had severe plagiocephaly. He did develop a slight flat spot but we corrected it with simple repositioning techniques.

So don't stress too much, but I would be sure to ask a doctor.

A.,
I do physical therapy for a living and that sounds like torticollis (or wry neck is a laymens term I have heard. My youngest child(# 4) had a mild case of it. In fact, I didn't even notice it before my doctor did! It is related sometimes to the way their muscles get a type of memory from womb position- my daughter was very long(221/2 inches) and her head was always in my left hip with feet up in right ribs so she had to do something to fit. I took my daughter to physical therapy because I can't do therapy on my own children. Please ask your doctor about this problem sometimes they can get you a consult with a occupational or physiacl therapist who can show you what to do. My daughter only had about ten sessions of PT before I could do her exercises without her crying so that I then could take over because I don't like to be the person who makes my kids uncomfortable( I can treat others kids because I don't have to worry about the lines being blurred-i am the terapist and they have their moms to make them feel better)Hope this helps - as the others said left untreated this can cause the head to get misshaped. Also, children who have this are also at risk for hip dysplasia so it is good to know all the info.

D.

I also recommend you see your pediatrician and ask about a precription/referral for physical therapy - this sounds like torticollis. I have 17 month old twins and both had it and our PT worked great. She had lots of fun exercises that weren't stressful for my babies - there are ways to stretch the neck muscles other than just turning the head.

If you qualify for Babies Can't Wait (through Children 1st) you can get PT service very inexpensively - our PT comes to our home. Otherwise, I recommend the pediatric PTs at Children's hospital. Your pediatrician may have another referral recommendation.

My great nephew did the same thing and was fitted for a special helmet that he wore to correctly position the head and stretch out the ligaments and tendons in the neck that had become shortened during pregnancy. Although this might sound like a strange or unusual thing to have to go through, I'll reassure you that he hardly even noticed the helmet when he was wearing it, and his parents dressed it up with cute stickers. In fact, he was so cute in it that he attracted a lot of positive attention from others. He is now a well-adjusted, cute, active 5 year old boy who loves to wrestle with my 5 year old son. I would encourage you to go ahead and set the appointment with your pediatrician now so that he or she can get you on the right track to take care of this situation. Also, there may be exercises you can do at home or physical therapy that would eliminate the need for wearing a custom-fitted helmet, but if you wait, the exercises may not be enough. Good luck with your little darling, and many blessings to you and yours for the coming year! God bless!

I am the mother of 6 year old twin daughters. I carried till about 36 weeks and they were born very healthy. The first twin (Twin A) was so squished inside the womb that she favored one side but I can't remember which side as of now. Anyways the Ped is the one that noticed it from the get go-she is such a wonderful doc! Anyways we had to do daily excercises with her where we would lay her head to the opposite side she favored and would hold it there gently for a few minutes. We were told to do this excercise several times a day and for both sides. She is absolutely fine now and it worked after only a couple of months. She didn't like it very much, but it didn't "hurt" her by any means. I would check with your ped first though before doing anything because it could be something more or less than what you think. My rule of thumb when in doubt always have it checked out.

My baby had this condition and taking her to a physical therapist really helped. I took her from the time she was two months to four months of age. The therapist can show you exercises to do at home with your baby. We had a really good experience at Emory.

Best of luck and email me if you have any questions.