I took her to the doctor and he said that it is unusual for a child this young to prefer to use one side over the other & he referred me to a neurologist....if I hold her right hand she will reach out with her left hand but she has a hard time picking things up with it...I have been watching her legs since we noticed her hands & she does the same. Has anyone ever experienced this? I'm a little nervous that it could be something terrible. Does anyone know of any excercises that I could do with her to try to build up the strength on that side of her body. I made the appointment to the neorologists, but the earliest one is in May...she'll be 1 yr at that point & I'd like to start doing something about this much sooner. I tried other doctors but their waiting period is the same.
2007-03-01 14:03:42 · 9 answers · asked by Maria C 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
Just to clarify, the doctor did agree that it is a problem, but he was unable to tell me what the problem may be, which is why he recommended a neurologist...I have tried making appt's with other dr's but their waiting period is even longer...thank you all for your great advice...I think I will try doing some excercises while I wait for the doctor...does anyone know of a website that I could find good excercises for infants?
2007-03-02 02:21:16 · update #1
The first answer of getting early intervention involved is a good one. Call your local school district or dept. of human services and ask what agency serves children for early intervention. That would be a good place to go to while you wait for the neurologist, they could assess your child's development and make recommendations as far as exercises. Simply encouraging your child to use her left side by putting highly preferred things on that side of her. food, toys, etc. don't tie her or use physical means if you can help it. try to arrange and modify the environment so that she uses her left side as much as possible.
2007-03-01 16:45:56 · answer #1 · answered by prekinpdx 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is your daughter a preemie or did she spend any time in the hospital or was there any complications during the delivery? It sounds like a neurological problem, but to what extent, only the doctor will know after tests and such. Is it just her arm or are you noticing this in her legs as well?
My daughter had a bit of the same problem...I noticed she wasn't using her right arm as much as her left. But her legs were fine...it was just her arm and hand. My daughter is a micropreemie and was born at 27 weeks via emergency c-section. She spent 4 months in the NICU. We don't know WHAT caused her that slight delay on her right arm...it could have been the very small Grade 1 bleed in her brain (very common with preemies and Grade 1 is virtually harmless in most cases), or it could have been that she was often hooked to an IV and they used that arm often, etc. Who knows...we never did find out. She's seeing a therapist who is helping her catch up and it's helped SO much. Basically, what I noticed was a tightness in her arm...that she didn't move it as WELL. It didn't seem to hurt her at all, but when I'd move her arm for her, I felt that it was tighter than the other arm. So the therapist showed me some stretching exersizes that have helped very much. There were other exersizes that she showed me...lots of tummy time, putting her in the crawling position, etc, etc...but some of these are more specific to my daughter's problems. But she's now 13 months old and doing amazing...she uses both sides equally.
I think it's VERY good that you're aware of this and that you're trying to do everything you can to correct the problem...some parents refuse to see things like this or admit it and it creates worse problems later. Seeing a neurologist is a wonderful idea...they'll probably have her doing some physical therapy.
If you feel that her mobility is being held-back by this issue, then definitely tell her doctor that. Perhaps they can get her in sooner, depending on the severity of her problem.
I wish I could help you more...you can always email me if you have more questions!
2007-03-01 15:17:04 · answer #2 · answered by Megan V 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You could try and get referred to a physical therapist as well; however, it's probably advisable to check for nerve damage. Your daughter must be delayed developmentally also due to a weak left side? Does she sit unassisted?
My 19 month old had infant torticollis (it's where you tilt your neck to one side and then neutral and can't turn it the other direction) at four months of age. To this day, her left side is very weak and she can't hold her weight up to stand unassisted so she's in weekly therapy (has been since 4 mo. of age due to the torticollis as she couldn't turn her head left). She does fine with a push toy, but she walks bowlegged so her hips were checked for displacia....nope, she's fine just weak. I would definetly question your pediatrician about a physical therapist and get some toning exercises going before your daughter is delayed developmentally even more than she probably is. Good Luck!
2007-03-01 15:35:16 · answer #3 · answered by Mom of One in Wisconsin 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I really hate it when a Dr. doesn't listen to the mother. Have you used this pediatrician long? 9 times out of 10 the mother is right when it comes to something being wrong with their child. We spend so much time with them, that we notice the little things that even Drs don't. I had a great pediatrician for my daughter.
Anyway, my advice is get a second opinon and get your child seen. The Dr. may very well be right, but it is not worth your sanity to wait.
Good luck and trust your instincts!!
2007-03-01 15:06:42 · answer #4 · answered by Shanna F 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
you need yo get your child to the neurologist as soon as possible. more than likely it is nothing serious, just that she feels more comfortable using that one side of her body than the other. it is better to error on the side of caution then take her to a physical therapist right off because that could do more damage than good if it is something serious. if the neurologist says everything is normal, ask him about PT or other exercises you could do at home on your own that may help her develop more strength.
2007-03-01 14:52:17 · answer #5 · answered by Rachael H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take her to a different doctor that can see her sooner! Some things shouldn't wait for months - in fact, I think nothing should. I don't see why it would take that long to get an appointment!?
2007-03-01 14:27:46 · answer #6 · answered by dbunnie 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well, i am sorry to hear about that,i have a 10 mon. old also. i think if it was a really serious thing they would get you in sooner. may is a long time off. you always get early intervention involved. have you dr. call them.then that way u could see a physical therapist.
2007-03-01 14:11:27 · answer #7 · answered by Stacey 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't let the Dr tell you its nothing if you feel it is. Get your baby seen by someone,if anything to ease your mind. There are lots of community based services that might be able to help. BTW, my son was a dominant lefty since birth.
2007-03-01 14:21:03 · answer #8 · answered by littleredhen 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You could try the old trick of tying a mitten on her right hand to force her to use her left more.
2007-03-01 14:11:56 · answer #9 · answered by Pseudo Obscure 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋