great pediatrician appointment

August 22, 2002

Ok, I just have to brag... I am the WO-MAN! We had Cole's 9 month checkup

this morning, and I discussed my concerns (letting the doc know I felt let

down, and like I could have gotten much better information about his head).

He started in with the " it will round out on its own " argument, to which I

responded that I see an awful lot of toddlers with flat heads. He then

admitted that it is much more common since the back to sleep campaign. I

went on to tell him that I would love to see them include some plagio

prevention tips in the information they give out at the 2 week checkup, and

that I think that once a child has a flat spot, they could really help by

sharing lots of tips on repositioning. The doctor said that he thinks I'm

totally right about that, and that they will make up a handout and mail it

to me! I handed him the letter I had written and asked him to share it with

the other doctors, and I gave him the repositioning tips I had printed off

the web. He thanked me for my input! Best of all, he said that he thinks

helmets are probably effective (but he did say that it's a tricky thing to

study). So hopefully he is not opposed to banding and will offer it as an

option to parents in the future. I did share with him how wonderful I think

the helmet is. Cole no longer sleeps on the back of his head (because the

helmet is rounded, unlike his head)... that alone is a huge step in the

right direction. This appointment was with the oldest doctor in the

practice, and the one I expected to be the least interested in my opinions.

He surprised me by taking it all very seriously, and I think the other

doctors will take his lead (at least I hope so!). If nothing else, the

prevention tips and repositioning information will hopefully help some

parents down the road. I feel like I actually made a difference!

Thanks again for everyone's support and input on the letter I sent out.

Kia

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