Re: Re: some more info on us -- we're new!

[Guest guest]

If you feel uncomfortable or sad whenever you look at your child with their band/helmet, they will sense that and not be comfortable themselves.

Good words! I totally agree!

Kendra

Re: some more info on us -- we're new!

Hi !I could have written you post almost word for word. My son (first child)is 5 months old and just received his DOC band last Friday for his moderate plagio. Our ped blew us off at our 2 month appointment. Jace clearly had a flat spot on the back right and it was obvious he had torticollis (although we didn't know there was a name for it).At our 4 month appt., we saw another ped who referred us to Cranial Tech. We struggled with this decision for a couple of weeks. Once we decided to go ahead with everything, I had second thoughts. I thought maybe we jumped into things too early. But the bottom line for us was despite the fact the we may have been able to help by repositioning, we did not want to lose any more time. What if repositioning didn't work and we lost another 2-3 months? Then the baby would probably be required to wear the band longer and we were risking facial asymetry. We almost see it as braces on your teeth. If it is something that you can fix, why wouldn't you? We are prepared to fight the insurance company or pay it out of pocket if we have to. My MIL gave me some good advice (yes, I did say MIL). She said be confident in your decision because children can sense when things aren't right. If you feel uncomfortable or sad whenever you look at your child with their band/helmet, they will sense that and not be comfortable themselves. Raise any concerns you have about the helmet with the ortho. But if the spots are fading within an hour, he should be ok. We also asked Cranial Tech about head growth and brain development. They assured us that the passive device redirects growth, it doesn't restrict it. His head will gorw and so will his brain!I look at this whole experience as an opportunity to raise awareness. I HOPE that people look at my son and ask me why he wears a band. I wish I had known more before Jace was born.Ana ~Jace's Mom> Hi, everyone!> > Thanks to all who offered advice and reassurance about my son's > tendency to sweat profusely in his new helmet. I didn't have much > time to write before, and I wanted to introduce us a little more (and > hopefully get some more wisdom from those of you who have been > through this already).> > My son (our first child) is 8 months old, and he just got a locally > made Helmet 3 days ago. As I said in my previous post, I am > disappointed that my pediatrician was so laid back about my concerns > during the 2 and 4 month check-ups, but mostly I am frustrated with > myself for not researching this problem earlier. My son's > plagiocephaly is mild to moderate. So we probably could have solved > this with aggressive repositioning earlier had we known. Hindsight, > I guess.> > We went with a locally made helmet on the advice of doctors. > ly, I felt we didn't have a lot of time to think about it since > he is already 8 months old. Perhaps we rushed into it and should > have researched the other options, although most people in our area > do opt for these passive devices.> > Since he is in the mild to moderate range, and the flatness is mostly > limited to the back/right side of his head (his facial features are > not really distorted), my husband and I wrestled with the decision to > put him in a helmet. His head is definitely misshapen, but from the > front, you wouldn't really notice it. So, I am concerned that maybe > we are blowing this out of proportion, that we should just let well > enough alone. Nevertheless, we finally decided to go ahead with the > treatment, but I'm still worried about whether we are doing what is > best for him. One of the first of many difficult parental decisions, > I'm sure, but that isn't stopping me from worrying. > > The helmet doesn't seem to bother him too much, although the sound of > the velcro closure frightens him when I take the helmet off. If he > arches his back when on the floor, the helmet will scoot down and > almost cover his eyes, which worries me a bit and seems to disturb > him, but it usually scoots back up when he straightens out. He just > went to sleep for the night with it on for the first time, so we will > see how well he does with that.> > I have noticed several red spots (not always in the same place, but > often on the top/side of his head) when the helmet is taken off, but > they diminish greatly within an hour. The technician who fitted the > helmet said this is normal, that I should be worried only about > bright red spots that don't diminish, but I am still concerned about > the ones that are there. > > That's basically our story so far!> > One paranoid question for all of you: is there any evidence that > putting an infant into a helmet/band could have negative effects, > such as restricting head growth and brain development? I haven't read > anything terribly negative like that, but I thought I'd throw out my > fears for discussion while I'm at it.> > Once again, advice appreciated!> > Thanks,> > For more plagio info