A.C.
Hi! Talk to your pediatrician about torticollis. My son had the same thing, and it was diagnosed a little late. The earlier the better. It means that the muscle on one side of the neck is shorter than the other, so the baby kind of cocks their head to one side all the time, and probably has a hard time looking over one shoulder ( and maybe even a hard time nursing on one side). We also noticed an uneven bump on the back of his head due to his always tilting his head, and the way it sat on his swing pillow. I had not ever heard of torticollis until he was diagnosed, but once I started talking about it I found out many of my friends babies had the same issue. Physical therapy is needed to correct it. You go to the therapist, and they give you exercises to do at home, then you also keep going back so the therapist can exercise the baby, and monitor your progress. It is important, if your baby does have torticollis, to get it treated soon. If left untreated, it can lead to scoliosis. Also, I found it very helpful to use a head cushion in his carseat. I bought it at Babies R Us. It almost looks like two bananas...one on each side of his head. My therapist loved it,and recommended it to all her clients. She said he healed quickly, and thought the pillow helped aid in that. Your baby might not have torticollis, but if you see her head always to one side, I bet that is what she has. Don't worry...it is not a horrible thing, and easily treated if you keep up on the exercises.
A. :)