14 month old holds his left arm bent upwards at elbow.

[JustPondering]

Just wondering really why my DS would always hold his arm this way, it's more noticeable when I am holding him. He also used to hold his hands in tight little fists up until he was about a year old. We are waiting for our health visitor to assess him in regards to speech and communication.

Do all babies hold their arm in this way, I haven't noticed any other babies doing it but i haven't been looking for it i guess.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean here. Is it that the arm is bent backwards at the elbow? Or bent normally, but doesn't seem able/want to choose to straighten it?

Bent normally, his upper arm is in the normal position but with the shoulder more tense, but the lower arm goes upwards with his hand flopped downwards. He doesn't seem to want to straighten it, when i move his arm into normal position he just naturally moves it back to the original position.

Sorry I'm not very good with descriptions.

Hard to know from the description. Sounds a little bit like what our physio calls guarding. My D holds both arms up and bent when she is unstable like shes guarding against a fall. But thats with both arms, not consistently with one /same arm.

Has he always done this or is it new? Something asymmetric I would consider taking to GP esp if new..or maybe call NHS Direct and see what they say...Not really sure I can picture what you mean

He has always done this, I have always wondered about it as it looks a little awkward, but I've only just began to think about it being possibly related to the communication somehow. He also stiffens his arms a lot either behind his back with his wrists flexed and with both arms in front of his head too, also with wrists flexed.

I think I will mention it to the health visitor when i eventually hear back from her.

It is like the gaurding posture, but only with one arm, but the arm can alternate, its usually the left one though, that's more noticeable. Its also more noticeable when he is on my hip, although he does it when walking a fair bit too.

Did he have a difficult birth? Is there any chance of nerve damage in his shoulder?

Not a difficult birth, but a very fast one, 45 minutes from first contraction to birth. He had some oxygen at birth. His arm when bent is very like the posture common in children with cerebral palsy, my sister has cerebral palsy and holds her arm like this sometimes. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have cerebral palsy though as he sat up, walked etc very early.

Strange, I guess I'll mention it to the health visitor.

Hello just pondering, how is your son doing? What about the bend of his arm?