Cerebral palsy signs?

[AmberM2022]

Hi so my LO boy has just gone 5m. And he’s showing some signs that i’m worried about.

1. He crosses his legs / ankles when i pick him up.
2. Cant roll over - and doesn’t seem to want to at all.
3. Hates tummy time.
4. when he is on his tummy he can’t use his arms to lift himself up, and when i try to help him do this he screams the house down.
5. He is quite irritable and frustrated and cry’s a lot probs about 70% of the day.
6. He dribbles a lot (i know this is a teething sign)
7. He favours his left arm most, picking up toys, putting things in his mouth.
8. He seems to not notice he can move his right arm to do things and won’t bend it?
9. He also goes quite stuff a lot.

Suffers with terrible reflux.

He did have a traumatic birth, forceps in theatre - not sure if this matters.

Now i just wanted some help to see if anyone else’s little one had these signs and we’re okay? i’m really worried. I will call the GP but i just know she will just tell me she’s not worried (they did this when he was born after i told them i thought he had CMPA and turns out he did)

I forgot to add he’s also SUPER sensitive to loud noises, he jumps / jerks and cry’s at any loud noises like musical instruments, motorbikes, ambulances etc.

If you are in the UK is call your HV and ask her to do an Ages & Stages assessment. I can't find a one for 5 months, the most relevant one I can find is the 4 month one.

If there are concerns, don't let her adopt the "wait and see" approach if you suspect something isn't quite right, you may need to insist on a referral to a Paediatrician

Thank you!! yes i have rang and she just said she’s going to refer him straight for physio to see what they say. I do feel slightly relieved someone will look at him :)

Hi, I was just wondering how your little one got on and if there are any developments? My little girl is just over 10 months old and is showing the symptoms what you describe. She can't sit up or support herself at all or properly roll over. She hates tummy time. She is very stiff one minute but then super flexible the next. She has a cows milk intolerance and i am struggling to get her to eat anything with texture. She arches her back constantly when being held. She is very difficult to hold because she cant support herself. She is like a dead weight. I'm desperate for some answers but it feels like I'm waiting forever. Thanks

@JodiM89 hey lovely! so my little one is actually doing well. I got him into physio and he did have a delay in his arm but after some exercises it got so much better and now has full movement, all the other signs he had just slowly stopped as he got bigger! (he’s nearly 11m now) He isn’t jerky or scared of loud noises anymore but that took some time!
I rang my health visitor to get him physio could you do that? Have you also had a pre 1 assessment yet? That would also be a good time to raise your concerns x

Aww brilliant. I'm glad that your little one is doing well. Yes we have had the 9 month check up and she has got an appointment with the physio. We had an appointment at the child development centre yesterday and they have referred her for an MRI scan. Fingers crossed we will get some answers. Thanks for the update... I really appreciate it xx

What was the outcome here please.. going crazy 5 month old reaches across his body to pick toys up with right hand, he uses his left hand but only by force if you put a toy in his reach or if he’s grabbing my hair or batting at toys above his play gym but it’s not with the same force or coordination as when he’s uses his right hand . He rolls over back to front but can’t roll the other way, he bring his hands together to play but often stares at his left hand as if he is unaware of it. He is very active and kicks his legs about a lot but I’m worried as he seems to have a firmer grip with his right hand. He had a tempeture and was see by a Paediatrician who mentioned that he has a more dominant side and it’s something to bring up with gp wating for an appointment for next week but can’t help worrying it’s cp as told babies should have a more dominant hand at five months. Please help

Hi, My daughter is booked in for an MRI scan this Friday. So we don't have any answers yet. She was 1 on the 8th October and there still isn't much improvement with her development/ mobility. Still waiting on some exercises to be sent to me from the physio. I wasn't all that concerned about her when she was 5 months old but started to worry more when she was 8 months old as she was nowhere near where she should have been and displaying symptoms of CP. Easier said than done but try not to panic as it could take time to get any answers but also it could be nothing. I'm still waiting for answers now...

Fingers cross it goes well for you on Friday, can I ask what sign of cp she displayed at eight months please ? X

My 9mo baby has right arm weakness, seriously struggled with tummy time, couldn’t roll either way til 6m but has made incredible progress and is now crawling and pulling to stand etc. I have turned down an mri but I would say be so so persistent - I harassed the gp, hv, appointments line, paediatricians secretary until he had the appointments he needed. Also private paediatric physio if you can afford even one or two appointments til nhs starts.

Thanks so much Rosie will get this going tomorrow so your little one just had a weakness not cp?

She leaned more to one side, wasn't rolling over or sitting up without support (still isn't). Very jerky uncontrolled movements. Hand movements. Arching of her back. Feeding/swallowing issues. She won't/can't stand on her feet... she pulls them right up. There was so many things. But there still is to be honest. I have seen that many different professionals about it. Some have said she presents well, whatever that means. I don't feel she does. I try and not compare but she is my fourth and whilst all have been different and developed at different rates my youngest is just very different. I'm just not 100% on what it is. Hoping the MRI will shed some light given that there isn't much improvement in development and she is now 1. X

@SanSan35 Sorry to hear you are worried! So when i wrote this my LO was 5m. And by 6/7m was still showing the same signs really but had stared to realise he could move his other arm after physio! i did the excersises they gave me. He didn’t roll over ever though until he could crawl and he didn’t crawl until 9m! he’s now just gone 1 and can walk and i have no concerns at all! So it was just a weakness. But at the time i was absolutely convinced it was CP i could sleep or eat for worrying. I wish i would have relaxed a little bit about it!

We don’t have a diagnosis, we’ve declined an mri for now as he’s making great progress and the treatment would be physio regardless of the results. He had a clear ultrasound and an a clear mri wouldn’t necessarily rule out CP but would require a general anaesthetic which didn’t seem worth it to me. We’re still under paediatrician care and waiting for a neurology appointment but he is also making good social/communication/etc progress so I am so much less concerned than I was 4 months ago! Happy to answer any more questions. His physio has wondered if it could be related to his traumatic birth/how huge he was/positioning. He also had feeding difficulties but doing great with weaning.