Si Si was a premature baby who cried out for several minutes after birth. The doctor warned Si Si’s mother to watch out for signs of cerebral palsy in her baby. The mother was worried, what damage does cerebral palsy do to my baby? How can I learn to observe and treat it early?
Cerebral palsy is a syndrome caused by brain injury due to some causes before birth, at birth, or in early infancy. It mainly manifests as central motor disorders and postural abnormalities, and may be accompanied by intellectual backwardness and convulsive seizures, behavioral abnormalities, sensory disturbances and other abnormalities. Although the clinical symptoms may change with age and brain maturation, the movement disorders and postural abnormalities may become more pronounced if timely rehabilitation is not provided.
Self-determination of cerebral palsy risk factors
1. gestational age <37 weeks or gestational age >42 weeks
2, birth weight <2500g; including premature immature infants, full-term small-like infants.
3, abnormal jaundice.
4, fetal brother or sister with a history of serious illness/death
5, Apgar score 0-4.
6, Infections during delivery.
7. Newborns born to high-risk mothers: such as those suffering from gestational hypertension syndrome, heart failure, hemorrhage, anemia, shock or drug addiction; placenta abruptio, placenta praevia, placental necrosis or placental dysfunction; cord blood flow obstruction: such as cord prolapse, compression, knotted or wrapped around the neck; neonatal whistling distress syndrome, congenital heart disease, breastfeeding difficulties, hypotonia, weak primitive reflexes such as hugging.
If any of these situations occur, the mother should pay attention and observe the baby further.
Early warning signs for babies with cerebral palsy
Neonatal period: When the baby is lying on his back, both lower limbs are hyperextended, and both upper limbs are flexed and the hands are held very tightly. Activity is reduced, especially the two hands rarely move. Lower limbs do not easily separate legs and diaper changing is difficult. Difficulty in feeding, uncoordinated sucking and swallowing, difficulty in nursing, frequent spitting up, and persistent weight gain.
About 30% of babies with cerebral palsy have severe “colic” like symptoms in the first 3 months of life.
3~5 months: The baby is unable to play with his hands repeatedly in front of his eyes.
7~8 months: The baby is still unable to sit. When the baby is forced to sit, the baby’s lower limbs are flexed and the knee joints cannot be straightened; after being forced to lean forward, the baby will fall backwards when the parents let go. When holding the baby’s armpits to make it stand upright, the baby’s hips and knees are excessively straightened and even crossed into a scissors position.
After 8 months: baby can’t crawl, or crawl baby only show upper limb activity, lower limb no alternating movement of extension and flexion.
Within 1 year old: the baby does not distinguish between the left and right hands, and will only use one hand to hold things. The baby’s face often shows strange expressions. Rhythmic tongue movements occur.
When the baby has the following problems in the process of feeding care should be promptly consulted.
1. feeding difficulties: uncoordinated sucking and swallowing, excessive salivation, and persistent weight gain.
2, nursing difficulties: difficulty in dressing, changing diapers to abduct the thighs, difficulty in breaking the fist during bathing.
3. over-excited: persistent crying, crying: weak, feeble, shrill and straight, or screaming Strange (low, straight).
4. abnormal sleep: difficulty falling asleep, irritability; abnormal sleep duration: too much sleep, not easily awakened, too little
5. abnormal voice development: no articulation, weak cough, low articulation, strange laughter, abrupt rise and stop
6. Interaction: no response to external stimuli, dull expression, no attachment to relatives.
What parents should do when facing a child with cerebral palsy
When abnormalities are found, mothers must take their babies to the doctor as soon as possible, especially for high-risk babies (difficult births, premature births, birth asphyxia), and they should also visit the doctor regularly if there are any abnormalities.
Children with milder degrees of coordination disorders can be largely cured if they are detected ultra early in the first three months of life or early in the first six to nine months of life and long-term regular treatment is started. In addition, the baby can be trained with intensive active movement methods, such as head lifting, pulling and sitting, rolling over, sitting, crawling, standing and walking according to the age of the month to promote motor development. Training should be carried out with the assistance of a regular hospital rehabilitator.
0~2 months
Prone head lift. Premature babies full 40 days to start prone practice, 1 hour before feeding, when awakening from fasting, prone position with language and toys to guide the baby to lift the head. Each training 3-5 minutes, 4-6 times a day.
Mother-child face-to-face training method. The baby is lying prone on the mother, and the mother can talk to the baby to encourage the baby to lift his head.
Side-lying symmetrical posture. Make the baby lie on his side with both upper limbs and hands in the middle position of the trunk. This position can control abnormal asymmetrical posture and abnormal extensor tension.
3~4 months
Prone head lift training. Continue to train your baby to lift his head in the prone position.
Roll over. Use toys to induce the baby to turn over. Help the baby to turn over by holding the baby’s hand with one hand and gently turning over to the opposite side with the other hand at the shoulder.
Balance training. Place the baby in the supine position on the sheet, and the two parents grab the two ends of the sheet to swing left and right respectively. 2 to 4 times a day, 3 to 5 minutes each time.
Hand-to-mouth coordination training. Supine position, let the baby grab both hands and feet to the mouth, practice hand-mouth-eye coordination movements.
Grasp training. Place the toy in the middle line position, and induce the baby’s upper limbs to reach forward and separate the fingers to grasp. Perform 7 to 8 times a day.
5~6 months
Sitting training. The baby’s lower limbs are separated, the trunk is leaning forward, the upper limbs are sitting in front of the support, and can also practice sitting. Practice 5 to 6 times a day for 10 minutes each time.
Belly crawl. Parents can be in front of their toys to tease, the rear against the baby’s feet to help move forward. Each 5-10 minutes, 7-8 times a day.
Active grip training. Baby sitting position, the toy will be placed in front of the body in different positions near and far, so that the baby practice from near and far, different heights to reach the toy. Practice 5 to 6 times a day. 10 minutes each time.
7~8 months
Crawl on hands and knees. Crawl in the position of support on hands and knees. Required to crawl 50 to 100 meters per day.
Pick-up movement training. Hold the baby’s knees in the standing position to prevent knee flexion, put toys in front of the baby and let him/her practice bending down to pick up. The amplitude of bending from high to low. From easy to difficult. This action is practiced 2 to 4 times a day, 10 to 30 each time.
Pinching action with both hands. To about 7 months old baby can use the thumb, at this time can give him some small toys, let it practice the use of fingers, let the baby from a large grasp to thumb and other fingers together to use the fine action of pinching.
9~12 months
Help stand, squat, stand alone and walk alone practice. And according to the baby’s condition, ask the doctor to help develop the next stage of training content and methods.
Warm Tips
Cerebral palsy must be detected early and treated early. From the developmental characteristics of the brain and nervous system, the earlier the detection, the greater the plasticity of the brain and nervous system, and the better the treatment effect. Experts believe that brain tissue is not yet mature within one year old and is still in the rapid growth stage, while the brain injury of cerebral palsy is also in the primary stage, abnormal posture and movement are not yet fixed, so the plasticity is large during this period and the compensatory recovery ability is strong.
Mothers can choose a professional rehabilitation clinic and ask professionals to carry out rehabilitation. The mother herself can also learn on the side and help her baby train more effectively when she gets home.