Re: Sydney's new helmet

June 6, 2002

,

Sounds like a good sign that she's been ok for that long a time. Maybe she

just wasn't used to it and now its not as scary to her. You'll get used to

it too- it will take a few days and you'll start becoming a pro at this, and

before you know it, months will fly by! Good luck- glad all is well for

Sydney!

' Mom

June 6, 2002

Hi & welcome to our group

We're glad to have you, we TRY to answer zillions of questions! I

hope we can help you.

First off, the " average " treatment time for babies in a " passive "

style band (like the DOCband or STARband) is 4.5 mos.. This of

course varies from child to child, it depends on their age, growth

spurts, severity, etc.. Your Sydney is at the great younger age to

begin her treatment, so to say 7 mos off the bat seems a bit long,

but you did say her plagio is severe, so it could be longer for her.

What type of helmet is Sydney wearing? A DOCband made by Cranial

Technologies, a STARband made by Orthomerica, or a locally made

helmet? STARBands & DOCbands are both " aggressive " style bands,

meaning they both apply minimal pressures (not felt at all by the

baby) to the non flat side of the child's head to help 'push' out the

flatter side as well as somewhat stunt the growth of the non flat

side. The bands are open on top usually as well.

Locally made helmets are usually full helmets which are " passive "

which simply means it leaves a gap in the flat area of the helmet

allowing room for the flat side to grow into, this all depends on the

child's growth spurts. Usually, babies are in locally made helmets a

bit longer than they would be an active band.

Whichever product you are using though, it should not be at all

difficult to get on or off your daughter's head. If you think it

is " too tight " then definitely get in to see your orthotist, an

adjustment is probably needed. My daughter's DOCband slipped easily

on & off of her head without trouble. Again, I recommend calling

your orthotist, the first week or 2 can be stressful & usually

several adjustments need to be made to get that perfect fit.

If it is too tight, that could be why Sydney is upset & crying a lot

right now. Most kids adjust to the helmet/band w/o any trouble, but

some do have a harder time adjusting.

Hang in there, the 1st week or 2 are very stressful, after that

though, you'll forget Sydney is even wearing her helmet!

Welcome again to our group!

Debbie abby's mom DOCGrad

MI

> Hi, I am new to the group but heard you could all answer the

million

> questions that I have. Sydney was diagnosed 3 weeks ago by the

> plastic surgeon who took one look at her and said " there are some

> serious problems here " . This after I raised the concern of her

head

> shape to her pediatrician who said " it is only cosmetic, her hair

> will cover it " . Anyway, the plastic surgeon banded her and said it

> would be at least 7 months. Isn't that kind of long? He said it

was

> a long time because her plagiocephely was intrauterine in nature.

> Sydeny got her helmet yesterday and hates it of course. She is 5

> months old and it seems so tight on her head. Trying to get it on

> and off, I feel like I am ripping her head off. How long will it

> take her to get used to it? She is usually a pretty laid back

child

> who never cries.. I really do mean never, not even when she is

> hungry. The last 24 hours have been nothing but tears and

screaming,

> is something wrong? Please help I am lost in all of this...Thought

I

> was ready but I am not!

June 6, 2002

First off, the " average " treatment time for babies in a " passive "

style band (like the DOCband or STARband) is 4.5 mos..

:

OOPS! I made a typo, It should say avg treatment time in an " ACTIVE "

style band is 4.5 mos..!! Sorry for the confusion

Debbie Abby's mom

MI

June 6, 2002

You could post a message asking if there is any group member who

lives in or near Cincinnati? I just searched our group archives &

nothing really came up about Cincinnati.

When you take Sydneys band off or put it on, do you pull it open

while pulling it off or putting it on? I mean pull the side of the

band's opening (the velcro side) apart to help 'open' it a bit? I

hope I'm making sense! It's hard to describe If not,that could

be why you are having a hard time with it.

I'm happy to hear her red spots are quickly fading!

Debbie Abby's mom DOCgrad

MI

> Sydney has the StarBand helmet from Orthomerica...that is who the

> plastic surgeon sent us to. Her orthotist said that when we take

the

> band off her red spots should go away in half an hour, if they did

> not her band was too tight. when I take her helmet off her spots

go

> away in less than 15 minutes, I guess she will be okay. My sister

> said she had no problem getting it on or off today so maybe it is

> just me. Is there any one in the Cincinnati area with a banded

> child? How would I find out?

June 6, 2002

We do pull the helmet open when we are putting it on, my sister said

it is much easier today than it was yesterday, perhaps it needed

to " stretch " a little. My sitter said she hasn't cried since 12:00;

so I think we will be fine. She is right now sitting up

and " playing " and doesn't seem bothered by the helmet. I guess my

sitter has it well under control...I am happy she is comfortable with

the helmet; more so than me it seems.

> > Sydney has the StarBand helmet from Orthomerica...that is who the

> > plastic surgeon sent us to. Her orthotist said that when we take

> the

> > band off her red spots should go away in half an hour, if they

did

> > not her band was too tight. when I take her helmet off her spots

> go

> > away in less than 15 minutes, I guess she will be okay. My

sister

> > said she had no problem getting it on or off today so maybe it is

> > just me. Is there any one in the Cincinnati area with a banded

> > child? How would I find out?

June 6, 2002

Let's hope she has adjusted to it some. I really am surprised more

kids don't have a more difficult time adjusting to wearing that hunk

of plastic on top of their head!

That's great your sitter is handling it so well .

You'll get used to the band in time too. I had a very difficult time

the first 2 wks Abby was in her band, Abby didn't mind it one bit.

Maybe the band did need to stretch out a bit to make it easier to get

on & off, who knows!?

Good luck - here's to a happy Sydney

Debbie Abby's mom DOCGrad

MI

> > You could post a message asking if there is any group member who

> > lives in or near Cincinnati? I just searched our group archives

&

> > nothing really came up about Cincinnati.

> > When you take Sydneys band off or put it on, do you pull it open

> > while pulling it off or putting it on? I mean pull the side of

the

> > band's opening (the velcro side) apart to help 'open' it a bit?

I

> > hope I'm making sense! It's hard to describe If not,that

could

> > be why you are having a hard time with it.

> > I'm happy to hear her red spots are quickly fading!

> > Debbie Abby's mom DOCgrad

> > MI

> >

> > --- In Plagiocephaly@y..., " momto2x2y " <momma2twoxtwoy@c...>

wrote:

> > > Sydney has the StarBand helmet from Orthomerica...that is who

the

> > > plastic surgeon sent us to. Her orthotist said that when we

take

> > the

> > > band off her red spots should go away in half an hour, if they

> did

> > > not her band was too tight. when I take her helmet off her

spots

> > go

> > > away in less than 15 minutes, I guess she will be okay. My

> sister

> > > said she had no problem getting it on or off today so maybe it

is

> > > just me. Is there any one in the Cincinnati area with a banded

> > > child? How would I find out?

June 7, 2002

Hi :

You know, my daughter had interuterine plagio as well, and hardly

ever cried when she was first born. Then I brought her to cranial

sacral therapy, and after some gentle massage to release the

restrictions she had, the therapist told me that she might cry when

she got home. I asked why. He said: Well, think of what happened.

This little baby was trying to move and get into position, and got

stuck. She probably tried to move for a while, but after a time she

just had to give up. Imagine the fear and pain that you would feel

if it were you... (He was trying to be very gentle and kind, and

just explain it. After I thought about it, I realized he could be

right! I just wanted to cry for my baby) Well, after we got home,

she just laid in my arms and sobbed. She was not in pain, she was

not screaming, she was just releasing some of what must have been a

bad experience. I am glad to say that the crying only lasted a few

times, and after that she became more vocal, more demanding and her

personality really started to shine through! And believe me, if

she's hungry, I know about it now! (And I love it)

Today she is happy and bubbly, and wears a DOC band. And she doesn't

mind it a bit.

My suggestion to you is that if her head is restricted (the myofacial

tissues and such) it could be that the pressure is uncomfortable for

her. You might want to enlist in the help of a Cranial Osteopath

and/or Cranial-Sacral Therapist to help the head release these

restrictions and allow her cranial bones to move freely into their

position. Of course, I'm sure you already have spoken with the

orthotist and have confirmed that the band indeed is not too tight

for Sydney.

Just my suggestions. Good luck to you and your little Sydney.

Kind regards,

, Rhiannon's mom

> Hi, I am new to the group but heard you could all answer the

million

> questions that I have. Sydney was diagnosed 3 weeks ago by the

> plastic surgeon who took one look at her and said " there are some

> serious problems here " . This after I raised the concern of her

head

> shape to her pediatrician who said " it is only cosmetic, her hair

> will cover it " . Anyway, the plastic surgeon banded her and said it

> would be at least 7 months. Isn't that kind of long? He said it

was

> a long time because her plagiocephely was intrauterine in nature.

> Sydeny got her helmet yesterday and hates it of course. She is 5

> months old and it seems so tight on her head. Trying to get it on

> and off, I feel like I am ripping her head off. How long will it

> take her to get used to it? She is usually a pretty laid back

child

> who never cries.. I really do mean never, not even when she is

> hungry. The last 24 hours have been nothing but tears and

screaming,

> is something wrong? Please help I am lost in all of this...Thought

I

> was ready but I am not!

June 7, 2002

Hi , and welcome to the group!

I'm glad that the plastic surgeon knows his stuff, especially after

being blown off by the ped. Unfortunately, that seems to be a common

theme around here.

The *average* time a child needs to wear a band is somewhere around

4.5 months. But that depends on quite a few variables: the age of

the child, the severity of the head shape, how quickly the child is

growing and so on. So if Sydney's head shape is on the more severe

side, I don't think 7 months sounds too long. Did your ortho say

that Sydney might need a second band if she's in it that long?

I was really pleased to read in some of your later posts that Sydney

wasn't fussing, and that any red spots were fading. Did your ortho

have you practice in the office how to put the band on and take it

off? Keep an eye on those red spots to make sure they fade within an

hour, and try not to pull the velcro closed too tight.

Good luck ! You will find that it really does get easier

with time!!

Niki

Kaylie & Danny (STAR grads)

Phila., PA

> Hi, I am new to the group but heard you could all answer the

million

> questions that I have. Sydney was diagnosed 3 weeks ago by the

> plastic surgeon who took one look at her and said " there are some

> serious problems here " . This after I raised the concern of her

head

> shape to her pediatrician who said " it is only cosmetic, her hair

> will cover it " . Anyway, the plastic surgeon banded her and said it

> would be at least 7 months. Isn't that kind of long? He said it

was

> a long time because her plagiocephely was intrauterine in nature.

> Sydeny got her helmet yesterday and hates it of course. She is 5

> months old and it seems so tight on her head. Trying to get it on

> and off, I feel like I am ripping her head off. How long will it

> take her to get used to it? She is usually a pretty laid back

child

> who never cries.. I really do mean never, not even when she is

> hungry. The last 24 hours have been nothing but tears and

screaming,

> is something wrong? Please help I am lost in all of this...Thought

I

> was ready but I am not!

June 7, 2002

In a message dated 6/6/02 11:06:30 PM Central Daylight Time,

dweston6587@... writes:

<< Well, think of what happened.