Guest guest Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Welcome- I think you've gotten some great advice already from other members. I just wanted to chime in that if you think you may regret NOT banding, you definitely should band. I wasn't able to band my son until he was 17 months old, and if I had a do-over, I would have banded him a year ago. There was not nearly as much natural improvement as I was lead to believe. In fact, he measured borderline moderate/severe right before he was banded, and that was after natural improvement. My son slept in his band the first night for over 12 hours and started wearing it 23 hours on day two. It was barely a blip on his radar as far as adjusting to it. It's just a part of him now. It's to the point where he'll go get his " hat " off the table where it's drying to have us put it back on him, way before his hour off is up. I am curious to know where you read all those negative reviews of the helmet and the whole process. I know of a handful of ill-fitting helmets that did not do the job, but that should be blamed more on the orthotist doing the adjustments than the helmet itself. And in the cases I've heard of, they were able to get a better fitting helmet and get good correction in the end. I did a lot of research before banding and didn't read any bad things about it. In fact I've even heard of some moms who may not have gotten the correction they wanted, but still don't regret banding. Please keep us posted on your decision. And don't be afraid to ask more questions. Good luck! Jake-19m (tort resolved/rt plagio/DOCBand 9 weeks) Jordan-4 > > I have a 7 month old with moderate to severe plagio. My husband and I > are trying to decide whether to band him or not. Every time I think > about it I could just cry. I have heard and read horror stories about > the whole process. My son is such a happy baby now, and I have heard > that the banding thing will make him miserable, no more smiles for me > in the morning because he is so aggravated with the helmet. And I have > heard/read that the one time sleeping through the night infant no > longer sleeps through the night because he/she are so uncomfortable. I > am just so confused and I hope that I don't sound too pathetic! I > would appreciate any words of wisdom. (We have a couple weeks to make > a decision) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Some babies do have a hard time adjusting to the band, but the vast majority do not. My daughter did great - always happy, stayed happy. However she was never a great sleeper unless we slept with her, so we just put her back in our bed. I would say most babies go back to normal sleeping within a week or two. Certainly I would take a few weeks of poor sleep (worst case) rather than have my child permanently deformed. Some babies sleep through the night the first night - you just don't know. Also mod-sev plagio is unlikely to correct enough on its own that you won't notice it later, and you don't want to miss the chance to band. Babies usually wear a band for 2-4 mo (mine was 5 mo, but that is longer than most from what I've seen). It is such a short time in the big scheme of things. -christine sydney 2 yrs starband grad > > I have a 7 month old with moderate to severe plagio. My husband and I > are trying to decide whether to band him or not. Every time I think > about it I could just cry. I have heard and read horror stories about > the whole process. My son is such a happy baby now, and I have heard > that the banding thing will make him miserable, no more smiles for me > in the morning because he is so aggravated with the helmet. And I have > heard/read that the one time sleeping through the night infant no > longer sleeps through the night because he/she are so uncomfortable. I > am just so confused and I hope that I don't sound too pathetic! I > would appreciate any words of wisdom. (We have a couple weeks to make > a decision) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 I'm sure everyone on this group has once had those same fears and concerns, but from our experience (both boys banded, one for brachy and one for moderate to severe plagio like your son)it was the best decision we ever made for our boys. Neither of them were affected or even cared that the bands were on and they too were 7.5 mos old like your son. When I look at their heads now in comparison to before, I am so thankful that we did go through with it. The adjustment period is mostly for you, getting into a routine and cleaning daily, etc...but then it just becomes a way of life. When I first saw them in their bands I wanted to cry as well...they looked so helpless...but then they smiled and carried on as usual, and I realized that it was me, not them, that was bothered...so we decorated them and had a lot of fun educating people along the way. Good luck with your decision, and as his mother I know you with do what's best for all of you. Shenelle Katy, TX > > I have a 7 month old with moderate to severe plagio. My husband and I > are trying to decide whether to band him or not. Every time I think > about it I could just cry. I have heard and read horror stories about > the whole process. My son is such a happy baby now, and I have heard > that the banding thing will make him miserable, no more smiles for me > in the morning because he is so aggravated with the helmet. And I have > heard/read that the one time sleeping through the night infant no > longer sleeps through the night because he/she are so uncomfortable. I > am just so confused and I hope that I don't sound too pathetic! I > would appreciate any words of wisdom. (We have a couple weeks to make > a decision) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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