So, let me start from the beginning. Evan was four weeks early, therefore classified as a preemie - and, as most of you know, he had a brief stay in the NICU after birth (one week). He also slept a lot. And by a lot, I mean A LOT. There were days that he was up maybe 2 hours collectively the entire day. He would sleep through feedings, diaper changes, everything. I told John Lee repeatedly that I didn't remember Avery sleeping as much as Evan did. I also told my pediatrician. To be honest, it kind of worried me; however, his doctor said he just needed to catch up from his early arrival, and to not worry about it.
He did catch up. Though he is still a great sleeper, he doesn't sleep all the time and is quite normal, as far as babies his age go. But, as a result of his excess sleeping, trip to the NICU, and just being a preemie, in general, he developed a flat head in the back.
Of course as parents, you are told to always lay your children on their backs, to prevent SIDS. So we did, religiously. At his two month appointment, when I first brought up my concern over his head shape, I was told to make sure to reposition him as to not favor one side or the other - which I did; however as a result, his entire back of his head is flat. He doesn't have one particular "spot" over the other. At that appointment, I was also told that we could watch it and see how it shapes up once he is awake more for tummy time and not on his head so much.
By the time his 4 month appointment approached, he still had his flat head. So, I brought it up again and she said that it still could correct itself with tummy time, repositioning, and sitting in his Bumbo chair more, but we would determine a plan of action at his 6 month appointment if there is no improvement.
Evan on Jan. 9, 2012 - 4 months old
During those two months, I watched it pretty closely. John Lee and I discussed the possibilities. What we would do if he had to wear a helmet, etc. I was all for it. John Lee was a little more hesitant - "It really isn't that bad, Emily." was his response. I had days where I would look at it and agree with him, but then there were days that I would look at it and think, "Boy, it really is flat." Then I would see grown men, with flat and misshaped heads and think, "I bet they wished their moms did something about that when they were young."
As his 6 month appointment approached, I knew that we were going to be referred to a specialist. His head was still very flat (though it did change shape somewhat). I guess you can say I was ready for what was coming. My view was, if he needed to get braces to fix his crooked teeth as a teenager, we wouldn't hesitate to get them fixed, so there shouldn't be any hesitation to do this - whatever "this" was.
Needless to say, Evan's doctor did refer us out. The specialist immediately got us in and took measurements of his head and a 3D image. He was diagnosed with Deformational Plagiocephaly, which is the most common head shape deformity in young infants. The skull can assume an abnormal shape due to many different factors, position in the womb, prematurity, how their plates fused or grew, etc.; and though they can't say for sure, what causes it specifically in each case, they can speculate, and they assume Evan's was caused by the fact that he was a preemie. Of course, as a parent, you immediately ask if there was anything that we could have done differently to prevent it? And the answer in Evan's case was, no. We did what we could, and by no fault of our own, he developed a flat head. It's that simple. Some kids are more prone to it than others. There are stories of twins, with similar sleeping habits, same families, same amount of tummy time, etc., that one developed the condition and the other did not. So, it could not have been prevented, but it can be treated.
And that leads me to Evan's new piece of head gear - his cranial remolding helmet.With the 3D image that was taken of Evan's head, they will make a mold. The helmet will then be fitted to that mold. We got to choose the colors. We opted for a plain blue and we are going to decorate it with stickers. My cousin told me about a little girl she knew who had to do the same treatment and they put a sticker on her helmet that said "Fixin' My Flat!" We love that, as it will help deter some questions people may have, and face it, it is dang cute.
He will have to wear his helmet for 3 or 4 months, 23 hours a day. I have read a lot about them and even got to meet another 6 month old who was in the office when I was there who had his helmet for about a week. The dad said that it hasn't phased him one bit, and to be honest, has been harder on he and his wife, than his son. It will be a commitment on our part, to ensure that he wears it when he should, but we are ready. We are committed. Of course, we had our reservations and anxieties about the stigmas attached to something like this, but quickly got over it, because we know that it is what is best for our son. There isn't anything wrong with what he has to go through and like I said, when you compare it to braces to fix crooked teeth, then it really isn't really a big deal. His three months will be over before we know it.
Right now, we are in a waiting game. We are waiting to see if it is approved by our insurance. The doctor doesn't seem to think that there will be a problem with the approval, but you just never know. Of course, I will keep everyone updated as this process continues. And like I've said before, just think how much more of a stud muffin he is going to be once this is all said and done?! I mean really, have you seen how cute he is?!
Lots of Love!
Emily
An picture of what the helmet will look like
He will have to wear his helmet for 3 or 4 months, 23 hours a day. I have read a lot about them and even got to meet another 6 month old who was in the office when I was there who had his helmet for about a week. The dad said that it hasn't phased him one bit, and to be honest, has been harder on he and his wife, than his son. It will be a commitment on our part, to ensure that he wears it when he should, but we are ready. We are committed. Of course, we had our reservations and anxieties about the stigmas attached to something like this, but quickly got over it, because we know that it is what is best for our son. There isn't anything wrong with what he has to go through and like I said, when you compare it to braces to fix crooked teeth, then it really isn't really a big deal. His three months will be over before we know it.
Right now, we are in a waiting game. We are waiting to see if it is approved by our insurance. The doctor doesn't seem to think that there will be a problem with the approval, but you just never know. Of course, I will keep everyone updated as this process continues. And like I've said before, just think how much more of a stud muffin he is going to be once this is all said and done?! I mean really, have you seen how cute he is?!
Lots of Love!
Emily
