Hi Mamas,
My 3 month old seems to be very tight. Her arms and legs are always rigid, and she doesn't like to bend. I don't believe she's gassy, we've had no problems with spit up, gas pains, she doesn't seem to cry in pain about anything. I've been reading about hypertonic babies, and it seems to fit my kid. She does a lot of back arching and sometimes it's very difficult to get her latched on to eat. I've been reading about chiropractic care to help the problem. Has anyone tried this? Has it helped?
Call early intervention- my son has low muscle tone and is almost 2. I saw the signs you are talking about when my son was 2 months- though, I didn't know anything about low tone. I called EI for speech problems when he was 1 and they found the low tone problems. He has been in physical therapy and has been progressing well! I have seen babies as young as 2 months at the EI clinic where I take my son for PT.
Please, please, if you are concerned about your child's hypertonicity, do 2 things: call Early Intervention and talk to your doctor. I know that hypotonocity can be helped through OT and/or PT. I also have a friend whose daughter showed symptoms of tightened muscles. The pediatrician and the family thought this mom was making a lot out of nothing. After she pushed, they diagnosed her daughter with juvenile arthritis; after months of painful shots and therapy for this, they discovered it was actually a rare disorder where the girl's body was actually consuming her own bones. I'm not saying this is the case with your daughter, but there are SO many possibilities that many practitioners of all types haven't heard of.
I am all in favor of chiropractors. I've seen one for over 15 years, but I also know that if it's something else, the earlier you find out and treat it, the better.
Good luck...
P.
I would call the peds office and get in to discuss this then make an appointment with a chiropractor too. As with the other posters there are so many reasons for your child's symptoms. Good Luck!
J.
I agree with Maria. I would have a discussion with your daughter's pediatrician. Share your concerns and show him/her what you are worried about with your daughter present. Does she have an unusual birth history, something that may factor in to her development? Does her tone change during the day? A referral to an neurologist may be indicated. Or if reflux the trigger, perhaps meds, positioning or a GI referral.
Early Intervention can help, once the doc has seen her.
Also, Erikson's Fussy Baby Network 1-888-431-Baby, or http://www.erikson.edu/fbn.aspx
may be able to help, too.
I am not opposed to chiropractic care either, once her pediatrician has seen her about this issue and made any appropriate referrals.
