Nervous, 5Month Old's Head Flopping Foreward

Updated on December 28, 2012
S.E. asks from Caldwell, NJ
11 answers

So i asked a question recently about the doctors being concerned about my babys head (question was titled 5month olds head keeps getting bigger!!) in a nut shell, she went from the 75th percentile at 2months to the 95th percentile a week before she turned 5 months old. The doctor seemed concerned, asked a whole bunch of questions, and said we would monitor it. I have to go in next month to have her head measured again and if it jumped again in percentile they will refer me to a neurologist. After talking to my fiance and his mom i really wasnt worried about it at all. She gets her funny "caveman forehead" from daddy, he had the exact same head when he was a baby and is perfectly normal now. Also my fiances mom said everyone in their family had giant heads as a baby, so i was pretty ok with the whole situation.

Today when my fiance got home from work he noticed that our daughter, whos been holding her head/ neck up normally for months now and never had any problems, would flop her head over forward for a few seconds, after having held it up for a while. I noticed her do it once during the day and i chalked it up to my poor baby being exhausted (we had an extremely long week, spent friday-monday afternoon in vermont, had xmas eve dinner with about 30 of my cousins, and then had christmas at our house with some family) so it really didnt concern me. He saw her do it once while i was holding her and asked me why she did that and i told him shes gotta be exhausted. I had her sitting on the kitchen table playing with one of her new toys (i was holding onto her supporting her back so she didnt wobble over) and she did it again, all of a sudden her head just flopped foreward and stayed like that for a little, my fiance was like "ok i really dont like this you need to make her take a nap if shes that tired its scaring me".. So she took a little nap, woke up for about 25 minutes, played with some toys and then we put her in her bouncer and she was in there for only a couple minutes and all of a sudden flopped her head over foreward and just left it like that for id say maybe ten seconds.

Well i was a little like "okay this isnt normal for her" My fiance on the other hand is completely freaked out. He went on the computer and started googling what could be wrong with her, even though i told him not to because it would just scare him. Then he proceeds to appologize to me over and over for totally disreguarding any concern i had over the measurements of her head (when i told him what the doctor had said he pretty much blew it off and said that i was being crazy and the doctor was an idiot) He read that some other symptoms to watch for would be her looking down alot and now hes like obsessed with it. Every time she so much as glances at the floor he looks like hes about to have a heart attack. At first i thought he was going a little overboard but now im not so sure either. I mean could she be that exhausted that she would be doing that?? Ever since she started being able to keep her head up i have never seen her do that, i mean maybe when she was first learning to hold up her head but definatley not any time recently... the more i think about it the more nervous its making me...

i should add that now that im freaking out its making me think of things and iv noticed that she has been rubbing her eyes more frequently than usual

i cant remember the percentiles on her height and weight this time around but she was 15lbz and 23 3/4inches ... at 2 months old the doctor said she was in the 50th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height (10lb8oz &21inches i believe) and as i said in the 75th% for the size of her head

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So What Happened?

she slept last night from 6pm until 8am this morning.. didnt flop her head over at all this morning.. took her to the doctor and she was perfectly fine.. the poor thing was just exhausted.. shes actually been napping for the past 45 minutes.. i guess the past week took alot out of her

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M.H.

answers from Chicago on

Call and Talk to the dr. He will let you know if he thinks it is okay to wait until tomorrow or if you should bring her to the ER.

I don;t know if it could be tired, or if something else is going on.

Good luck.

3 moms found this helpful

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L.M.

answers from Orlando on

I would personally try (TRY) not to worry too much tonight and call the Dr first thing to make an appt tomorrow morning just to be sure. There is nothing you can do tonight, unless you plan on taking her to the ER......I know it's hard but , at this point nothing you can do right at this moment , right? I hope everything turns out ok.

8 moms found this helpful
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A.T.

answers from New York on

Call your pediatrition, is he not on call??? ER if you are in a panic and ped. not available.

3 moms found this helpful

V.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Just the way you are describing it makes me a little freaked out too! I would definitely call your doctor. If you can't reach him, call the nurse hotline at your hospital. They will most likely tell you that you need to go in to the ER (They will send people to the ER for very little on the side of caution) so be prepared to head to the ER. Try not to freak out and stay calm but definitely get it checked out and let us know what the doc says!

1 mom found this helpful

S.L.

answers from Kansas City on

A 5 month old should not be that 'exhausted'. I would get her to a pediatrician soon and have them evaluate her completely. I hope everything is okay but you need to have this checked out if for no other reason to put your mind at ease but also to see if she is okay.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

time to hit the doctor's office, & in the meantime....make sure she gets enough sleep & floor time to help strengthen those muscles.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.O.

answers from Chicago on

If it is concerning you, take her to the doctors in the morning. You and Daddy need to in the meantime, try to REALLY NOT WORRY AND FREAK OUT, as she will feel that, and be upset.

Ask you Mother in Law if your fiancee did that when he was little, as it may be normal. Remember the phrase, "Dr. Mom"? It's that way for a reason. Have Mom try to dig up memories of her son as a tyke.

Until then, try to relax.

Take care Mama!

1 mom found this helpful

D.K.

answers from Sioux City on

Oh Honey. Take a deep breath. You don't know what you don't know and that, you can't do anything about right at this moment. Take her back in to the Doc. and have her checked. In the meantime enjoy her. I will say some prayers all turns out well.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Portland on

Does she flop her head down as if she has no control over it or does she lean her head down? Leaning her head down is normal. I don't know about the other and suggest that the person to ask is her pediatrician.

My 16 mos old granddaughter leans her head down so that her chin touches her chest when she's feeling shy which can happen when someone is looking at her or when she sees someone and expects them to look at her. Santa's helpers had a time getting her to look up for the picture.

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A.G.

answers from New York on

never hesitate to call your doctor. They may evenlaugh and tell yoou your tonervouse but it is your baby no theirs so even if they think your to protective better safe than sorry.

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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

I would go to a different ped and get a second opinion. She should be strong enough to hold up her head and control the movements. If her head just flops ---- something may be wrong. I'm not a doctor nor did I ever deal with this so I'm not a lot of help.

Contact the Easter Seals Society for info.

Let us know -- please.

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