Re: Intro/ Louisville Questions

[Guest guest]

Hello and welcome!

Sorry, I'm not from your area so I can't help you there. I guess you would be

getting a locally made helmet or possibly a STARband. The best thing you can

do at this time is to ask TONS of questions of the specialist and the

orthotist. With locally made products and the STARband the experience of the

orthotist in treating plagio babies with their chosen product is of the

utmost importance. So basically you should interview the ortho. Ask him/her

how many babies he's treated. Ask to see pictures. Ask how many years he/she

has been doing it. Ask if he/she has any people you could call for a

reference. It may seem odd to question someone in the medical field, but in

the wrong hands the STARband or locally made helmet may or may not work for

your baby. In the right hands they can both be EXCELLENT products!

I understand your concern about " putting your baby through " this experience.

Trust me, it's not half as bad as it all seems at first! Your baby will not

remember any of it and most babys could care less that there is a band on

their head! It was worth it to us because I could not bear the thought of

possibly being teased about her " crooked head " later in life and me

having to answer to her. Also, she was high moderate to severe and there are

any number of POSSIBLE complications that can arise with untreated plagio.

Sorry this got so long! I'm glad you have joined this group and we look

forward to hearing more from you!

Marci (Mom to )

Oklahoma

[Guest guest]

Hi there in Louisville!

I know that apprehension to go through the casting process and the whole

helmet process, we essentially had to make up our own minds on what to do as

well since the Doc never recommend this for us to do- and we wrangled with

the effects of putting him through it. You will have to set aside that

casting process- because you cannot allow those short 10 min. to dictate your

decision about what the best thing to do is. We did decide to go for it

because of that window of opportunity, and still at 8 months is great timing

to be in a helmet. It is so hard because there are conflicting points of

view that some have that it will round out on its own, and some have been

very successful with repositioning. You will have to weigh all the pros and

cons, how is repositioning working for you, and can you live with a decision

not to band in case it does not round out and regret not doing it, and do you

think it has progressively gotten worse or better over time on its own. Go

with your gut, whatever you decide, we are with you 100% because it can be a

difficult decision to come to all on your own. Be glad that your Doc is

willing to give it a try- not many are. In most cases parents are trying to

convince the Doc, not the Doc trying to convince the parent! If the casting

and wearing of the helmet are your biggest concerns, as long as you have

checked out that ortho's experience (maybe ask for before and after photos)

you can rest assured that the experience will not be as unpleasant as you

think- the babies stop crying the minute the casting is over (haven't heard

of any being traumatized!) and most babies generally have no problem wearing

a helmet, mine included. Good luck and keep us posted!

' Mom