I quickly recovered and we went about business as usual...sponge baths only...powdering the areas that didn't get much air...driving to the city every 2 weeks for check-ups...and wearing lots of cute little dresses. She kept the pavlik on til she was about 5 months old...eventually just wearing it at night.
When she was about 8 months old, she needed another brace - this one was metal and leather (very old-school looking, but with velcro instead of buckles) that she wore only at night. She wore that for a couple months, and since then has been pretty much "normal" at her check-ups. Yay!
Last week, we went back to the city hospital. This time with Mason. This time to a pediatric neurologist right across the waiting room from Dr. T. This time to address his plagiocephaly - a fancy term meaning his head is flat! Some people notice it right away, and others don't. It's noticeable but not glaring. We were looking into whether or not he needed a helmet to correct his misshapen head (which resulted from his affinity for laying on the right side of his head as a newborn). Our hope was that the doctor would give us a clear "yes" or "no". He didn't. Some highlights from our visit:
*His head is indeed flat (kind of bad)
*His face is basically symmetrical (good)
*He is developing normally otherwise (good)
*His right ear is slightly ahead of his left (barely noticeable)
*His right cheek is slightly fuller than the left (only noticeable to doctors looking for such a thing)
*His head will likely round out some on its own in the next 5 months (good)
*A helmet would likely make it round out to a more symmetrical shape than leaving it alone
*He will continue develop normally - helmet or not - as the shape of his head is not effecting his development (good)
*It depends on how much it bothers us, his parents (wonderful)
So. We're sort of at a loss. We left the doctors office feeling like he'd be just fine without the helmet. When we got home, however, we started to think more about it. We just don't know. Today we talked again with a doctor who is our friend to see what his thoughts are (he actually brought the whole thing to our attention about 2 months ago). He's going to look more at the neurologist's dictation to see if he can get any more information.
So here's where we sit:
HELMET:
*Pretty much guaranteed round head. If he was a girl, we wouldn't even think about it. But since he'll probably have short hair, a symmetrical head might come in handy.
*He wouldn't get teased about having an oddly-shaped head. The other kids can stick to stuff like his name or his shoes or his bad haircuts.
*Many trips to the city.
*Hot, sweaty head-in-helmet summer.
NO HELMET:
*Maybe a roundish head...but maybe not.
*Possible teasing about an oddly-shaped head. Not a huge deal except that we, his parents, may have been able to prevent that...would we feel bad about that?
*Possibly have trouble finding a hat that fits well :).
*No trips, no interventions.
So that's where we are. Any ideas? We're so very in the middle, but we need to make some kind of decision soon. Because of his age, the window in which we can do anything gets smaller by the day.
Harnesses and helmets......
4 comments:
I know how hard it is to make those decisions. I have been to many different doctors with Haylen and I usually end up leaving and still having to make my own decision anyways. At one point I went to 3 different ones and got 3 polar opposite opinions lol. Haylen was treated for torticollis among other things when he was young and it took me almost 3mos to realize that he never turned his head to the left and ask someone about it. I can picture him now going through life only looking to the right lol
If his flat head is something that you notice and you think that you would want to have fixed if it was your head then I would go ahead and have him wear the helmet. I don't have experience with helmets but there was a little boy in our church that had to wear one for a while and it seemed pretty painless for him.
One of my kids had a slightly flat head when they were little (can't remember which one) but it ended up resolving itself when they quit sleeping like that.
Good luck with your decision! I am sure that whatever you decide will be the right decision.
Hey Cody, thinking of you and know you'll make the right decision.
How did I not notice the braces on Lily at that age??? I had no idea!
We've had to make a lot of tough decisions with our kids as well. It's never easy for a mom...that's for sure.
I've found that the best thing is to pray a lot about it and wait for the peace to come. It will come and you'll know the right decision.
I will keep him in my prayers and you guys as well. Let us know what you decide!
Hey Cody, I know these decisions are hard to make! I would probably go with the helmet. Mason will likely never grow up and be upset with you that his head his round but if it's flat he might hold it against you! :) Sort of kidding but hopefully you see what I'm saying!
There's probably no right or wrong decision but the helmets they make are very well ventilated so it shouldn't be a huge deal in the summer time.
Good luck deciding!!
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