After offering you a few days ago an entry talking about those things that parents should look at in our children to know if they are well and if everything that catches our attention is normal and we are going to continue the topic today talking about limbs.
Most doubts and problems are derived from the lower extemities, of the legs, for a matter of form, position and the doubt of "how he will walk", however there are things that we must also see in his arms. Let's talk about babies' limbs to see what is normal and what might not be.
Superior limbs
As I say, in regards to arms and hands there is usually no doubt because there is not as much variability as in the legs, although that does not mean that we cannot look at some things like mobility, symmetry or how you have fingers.
Mobility is something that is already seen when the baby is born, simply to observe that the baby moves both arms well and that, during childbirth, there has been no type of neurological injury or that it does not exist previously. Possible fractures such as that of the clavicle are also ruled out, which is relatively common at birth (it happens very rarely, but it happens).
I comment here because some baby has ever come to the pediatric office with a week or more of age and, when the pediatrician tells you that he has a clavicle fracture, be surprised to know nothing about it. Normally it is not something that happens, but it can happen and, as I said in the previous post, parents are the first to know our son to see and recognize that something is wrong.
Symmetry is important to value it as time goes by because it gives clues about the neurological development of the baby. If at three months, for example, there is an asymmetry of the activity with the hands, the baby should be valued by a neurologist in order to detect possible problems in development.
The position of the fingers can also be significant, especially the position of the thumb. At two months of age, the fact that you open your hands and that your thumb is also open is valued. If at that age he maintains the thumb inside the hand always a neurological assessment is also recommended.
Lower limbs
A few days ago, a mother told me that she was doing daily massages to her fifteen-day daughter because her legs were arched, crooked, and that they had recommended it.
I personally did not see anything strange because at birth the babies' legs have that shape. Even many babies have their fingers and tips turned inward, just as they came in the belly.
She told me that she did not see anything strange, but that as a pediatrician had told her, she was left with the doubt and paid attention to it.
The point is that The shape of babies' legs is variable and also changes with age. At first, when they are babies, they are shaped as curved and then, little by little and as they walk, the legs get straighter and, in some cases, the knees are even closer together than the rest of the legs.
If there are doubts about it, it is best to consult the pediatrician to rule out a deviation of the legs outward, something that is known as varus legs, which is normal until three years (I repeat, years), or inward, which are the legs in valgo, a condition that usually appears towards two or three years and that can be considered normal until five or six years, when they begin to straighten.
As you can see, the legs naturally modify the position and structure according to age, so in general, most likely they will always tell you when in doubt that "we will wait to see how it evolves", because according to age you can Be completely normal. However, if the deformity is very evident or exaggerated or if it persists over time, some type of treatment will have to be assessed.
