Holding up head

I don’t know if this is a big deal but it ahs been driving me crazy. My DD refuses or is unable to hold her head straight up and down. When she is laying in her bouncy she tips her head to the side (always to the left) and when you hold her she tips her head to the left. IF she is a sleep and I straighten it she gets mad. I tried putting a head rest in her seat to hold her head straight and she wiggled her way down until she could get her head back to her normal position. DS hold his head up fine and has for a while in fact it is the only thing he is ahead of her in. She has been smiling like crazy since she was around a month old and he just started to small around two months (it sounds crazy but it is so much work to get him to smile that every time he smiles I want to cry I am so happy to see his little face light up) They don’t get very much belly time because our house is so small and I am afraid my older DS will run over them or some one will steep on them because certain members of my household don’t pay attention to what they are doing…Even with me sitting next to them. I guess when it come to tummy time I am a major failure.
When DD is laying down flat on her back she doesn’t tip her head just any other time. I also don’t know if this makes any difference but they where born at 36 weeks 5 days.
I will mention it to my ped if she is still doing it when we go in for their four month but I am just not sure if it should be addressed sooner then that.

 

How much does she weigh? There is a two pound weight difference between my DD and DS and he seems to reach physical milestones a little earlier. She reaches other milestones at the same time or even before - following things with her eyes, making sounds, etc.

My DS always wants to look to the right and it has improved a lot now that he can hold his head up, but I am still fighting him on it regularly (we're dealing with a flat spot too). Mine are still wobbly when holding their head up, DD more that DS, but mine were more premature than yours by two weeks.

Not sure how much that helps, but I thought I would share our experience.

 

My DD weighs about a pound more then my DS. Your experience does help thank you.

 

Hmmm, I would watch her and try to get her to turn the other way. If she's not in pain when you turn her head the other way, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I bet she starts holding her head better in the next week or two.

Everytime I say something to my Ped about what dd or ds does or doesn't do that the other does, he tells me to stop comparing. I try really hard not to compare, but it is so difficult!!

 

My dd, Maya, did this when she was a baby and it turned out that she had torticollis. What you describe sounds like it could be torticollis because she's always leaning to the same side. We noticed this when she was about 2 months old and the ped. said to keep an eye on it. We tried alternating her position and feeding her so her head be forced to the other side / striaght more often. Be careful to be gentle because it can be painful. Maya ended up getting therapy starting at 4 months old. The therapist told me she worked witha 4 year old who didn't get treatment (parents didn't do the exercises on a regular basis) and her head still leaned toward one side. I guess the longer you go without doing the exercise, the more painful it becomes.
So, maybe you should call your ped. and ask about this instead of waiting until your four month. Hope this helps- and I hope it;s not torticollis! Good luck

 

My Charlize has the same thing. Thomas came out of the belly holding his head up and Charlize has been getting stronger, but not as strong as he is. We had an Early Intervention Team come and evaluate the twin last week and they noticed that she tilts slightly to the left. They really watched her and tried to see if there was any pain or tightness in her muscles, which there wasn't, but they worked it out so that she qualifies for physical therapy and they will come to our house biweekly to give us exercises to work on the issue (free of charge). I would difinately call the pedi. and ask if maybe you could get the same evaluation for Maya, our is run by the state for all premies (if the parents want it).

 

Same thing happened with our ds.Would always keep it to the side. And wasn't holding head up. Of course his sister was holding hers up just fine. Now he is doing great and actually holds up more then dd. Each baby is differant and it is very hard not to compare the little ones. My ds weighs 3 lbs more then dd.

 

I just wanted to add that my dd didn't show any signs of pain when I moved her head straight or toward the other side. Her head just automatically went back the way she always had it. I was surprised when the therapist told me that she could be in pain. I guess I'm telling you this so you know that she might not be screaming, even if it bothers her.