Hi everyone. I’m posting because I’m really worried about my little boy and would really appreciate hearing from other parents who may have experienced something similar.
He is 7 weeks old, nearly 8 weeks, and I’m concerned about his head control and movements.
At the moment, he doesn’t seem able to hold his head upright at all, even for the faintest second. When I hold him upright, his head seems to flop around rather than him being able to control it. He also has quite significant head lag.
He doesn’t really lift or turn his head when on his stomach either, whether that’s during tummy time or lying on my chest.
I’ve also noticed that his movements sometimes seem asymmetrical and a bit jerky rather than smooth. His right-hand grip seems noticeably stronger than his left. I’m not sure whether this is normal variation at this age or something that should be concerning.
Our health visitor did his 6–8 week check and wasn’t happy with his head control, so he has now been referred to paediatrics and we’re due to see them next week.
His birth was quite difficult. He was in the birth canal for around 2–3 hours and there was some distress because his heart rate dropped below mine. However, he was born with an Apgar score of 9, and his cord gases were apparently on the low side of normal, so nothing further was required at the time.
I’m absolutely terrified that this could be cerebral palsy. I know nobody on Reddit can diagnose him, and I’m not looking for a diagnosis, but I’d really like to hear from parents whose babies had very poor head control, head lag, asymmetrical/jerky movements or a weaker side at around 7–8 weeks.
Did it turn out to be something completely different? Did their head control suddenly improve over the following weeks?
I’m trying so hard not to Google myself into a panic, but I’m really struggling with the wait until the paediatric appointment.
Thank you ❤️