Guest guest Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 I joined this group because I have a 9 month old daughter, who has torticollis, and also has mild plagio. she started getting a flat spot around a month old and we have been using repositioning since then. and it has gotten better, but it is still there. its on the left side, the opposite side that she tilts to. we talked about the helmet with her PT a few months ago, but thought maybe with more repositioning, it would get better. and it has a little bit. so now, before its too late, we are going to a ped plastic surgeon next week, to have a consult to see if a helmet is necessary. i am so nervous. i dont know what to ask, what he wll do, nothing. and my bf is totally not supportive. he doesnt think she needs it...though he doesnt think she needs pt either. he is really scared of the looks and questions he will gt asked if she does get a helmet. i just dont know what to tell him. if anyone has any ideas on what to expect at hte consult, or how to talk to my bf about this, please, i would greatly appreciate it. thanks, , mommy to Athena, 9 months, and Illeanna 3 years Pittsburgh PA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 Hi! My wife and I know what you're going through. Tell your bf not to care what others think. We're doing whatever it takes to help our son. Hang in there. We're already seeing that the band isn't as bad as we thought it would be. > > I joined this group because I have a 9 month old daughter, who has > torticollis, and also has mild plagio. she started getting a flat > spot around a month old and we have been using repositioning since > then. and it has gotten better, but it is still there. its on the > left side, the opposite side that she tilts to. > > we talked about the helmet with her PT a few months ago, but thought > maybe with more repositioning, it would get better. and it has a > little bit. so now, before its too late, we are going to a ped > plastic surgeon next week, to have a consult to see if a helmet is > necessary. i am so nervous. i dont know what to ask, what he wll do, > nothing. and my bf is totally not supportive. he doesnt think she > needs it...though he doesnt think she needs pt either. he is really > scared of the looks and questions he will gt asked if she does get a > helmet. i just dont know what to tell him. > > if anyone has any ideas on what to expect at hte consult, or how to > talk to my bf about this, please, i would greatly appreciate it. > > thanks, > , mommy to Athena, 9 months, and Illeanna 3 years > Pittsburgh PA > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 >its unfortunate that your bf isnt comfortable with the idea of the helmet, but this IS in your daughters best intrest for a number of reasons........mabey having bf read some posts and do some research will help ease his worries.......p.s.....also point out that what other people think should be the least of his worries....were talking about his daughters development.geez...take care and good luck!!! > I joined this group because I have a 9 month old daughter, who has > torticollis, and also has mild plagio. she started getting a flat > spot around a month old and we have been using repositioning since > then. and it has gotten better, but it is still there. its on the > left side, the opposite side that she tilts to. > > we talked about the helmet with her PT a few months ago, but thought > maybe with more repositioning, it would get better. and it has a > little bit. so now, before its too late, we are going to a ped > plastic surgeon next week, to have a consult to see if a helmet is > necessary. i am so nervous. i dont know what to ask, what he wll do, > nothing. and my bf is totally not supportive. he doesnt think she > needs it...though he doesnt think she needs pt either. he is really > scared of the looks and questions he will gt asked if she does get a > helmet. i just dont know what to tell him. > > if anyone has any ideas on what to expect at hte consult, or how to > talk to my bf about this, please, i would greatly appreciate it. > > thanks, > , mommy to Athena, 9 months, and Illeanna 3 years > Pittsburgh PA > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 Welcome - I'm from Pittsburgh (Upper St. Clair) but live in Raleigh, NC now (sorry I can't help with references!). How long has your daughter been in physical therapy for her torticollis? Please explain to your bf that PT for the tort is VERY IMPORTANT. There are some serious long term effects that could occur if the tort is not resolved properly (there is another message board for tort, I highly recommend you join it, if for no other reason than to be able to show your bf some of the posts). Also, it's great that you have seen some success with repo. If you do decide to pursue the helmet, tell your bf that it's like braces for her head! (If my son will look anything like me when I had braces, trust me, he looks WAY cuter in his helmet! ;-)). My husband was hard to convince at first too, but I printed out a bunch of articles and research and made him read posts on this message board, and eventually he gave in. Still somewhat reluctantly, but now that he has seen that the helmet has make a difference, he's glad we did it. Some specialists will take measurements of the head, some will not. Ours didn't. I would ask what level of severity he would rank your daughter's plagio, mild-moderate-severe. If he says anything to discount the benefits of a helmet, I would ask him WHY. Some doctors are all for banding and some aren't. My main advice would be to not leave the office until you have all the answers you want and feel you have gotten all the information you need to make an informed decision. Type up a list of questions to ask so you don't forget (I did, but I still forgot some!). Good luck with everything! Please keep us posted! Jake-20m (tort resolved/rt plagio/DOCBand) Jordan-4 > > I joined this group because I have a 9 month old daughter, who has > torticollis, and also has mild plagio. she started getting a flat > spot around a month old and we have been using repositioning since > then. and it has gotten better, but it is still there. its on the > left side, the opposite side that she tilts to. > > we talked about the helmet with her PT a few months ago, but thought > maybe with more repositioning, it would get better. and it has a > little bit. so now, before its too late, we are going to a ped > plastic surgeon next week, to have a consult to see if a helmet is > necessary. i am so nervous. i dont know what to ask, what he wll do, > nothing. and my bf is totally not supportive. he doesnt think she > needs it...though he doesnt think she needs pt either. he is really > scared of the looks and questions he will gt asked if she does get a > helmet. i just dont know what to tell him. > > if anyone has any ideas on what to expect at hte consult, or how to > talk to my bf about this, please, i would greatly appreciate it. > > thanks, > , mommy to Athena, 9 months, and Illeanna 3 years > Pittsburgh PA > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 Just do some research visit the Cranial Technologies website. They are the pioneers and inventors of the DOC band, in my opinion the premeire band. Good luck and we are here for you when you get back from the appointment. Get the measurements so we can tell you if it is moderate mild severe and if it is plagio brachy etc... You are starting a new adventure into plagio land! Tammy Mother to a Tort and Pt graduate who had plagio and received a great DOC band from Cranial Tech and graduated on New Years Eve after 8 weeks of helmet. He is doing great! From: <illeannamum@...>Subject: Just JoinedPlagiocephaly Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008, 10:44 PM I joined this group because I have a 9 month old daughter, who has torticollis, and also has mild plagio. she started getting a flat spot around a month old and we have been using repositioning since then. and it has gotten better, but it is still there. its on the left side, the opposite side that she tilts to. we talked about the helmet with her PT a few months ago, but thought maybe with more repositioning, it would get better. and it has a little bit. so now, before its too late, we are going to a ped plastic surgeon next week, to have a consult to see if a helmet is necessary. i am so nervous. i dont know what to ask, what he wll do, nothing. and my bf is totally not supportive. he doesnt think she needs it...though he doesnt think she needs pt either. he is really scared of the looks and questions he will gt asked if she does get a helmet. i just dont know what to tell him.if anyone has any ideas on what to expect at hte consult, or how to talk to my bf about this, please, i would greatly appreciate it. thanks,, mommy to Athena, 9 months, and Illeanna 3 yearsPittsburgh PA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 That is about the same age that i noticed my daughter's flat head. At that time, it was the right side. At this age, repositioning is probably your best bet. Most helmet places won't band younger than 3 to 4 months. One thing I did that i believe restricted my daughter's ability to move her head in the crib was the swaddling. Because she had reflux and milk allergy, she didn't sleep well and swaddling helped so I swaddled her until she was 7 months old. I now believe that this prevented her from naturally moving her head while sleeping. you might want to try not swaddling to see if it helps the head position during sleep. Here are some links on repositioning tips. I wish that someone had given me these when my daughter was this young. Maybe we could have avoided ever needing treatment. http://www.cranialtech.com/images/stories/Files/positioningprotocol.pdf http://www.minti.com/parenting-advice/8164/Repositioning-Therapy-to-Correct-Flat-Head-or-Plagiocephaly/ http://www.starcranialcenter.com/pdf/reposition_guide_dallas.pdf Hope this helps. , mom to , 2 years STARband grad may 2009 land Just Joined I am so happy to see this group. My baby, Mila is 10 weeks old and has positional plagiocephaly with flattening on her left side. She has a tendency to turn her head slightly to her left since birth. I noticed her positional preference shortly after she was born and mentioned it to the doctor but she didn't think it was significant and did not detect evidence of torticolis. I then noticed the flattening when she was 6 weeks old and went back to the pediatrician who referred us to a physical therapist at that time. The physical therapist confirmed that Mila does NOT have torticollis and recommended a head scan (we are waiting for this now). I have been trying repositioning techniques, but Mila is very stubborn in her preference to turn her head just slightly off center to the left. I have been using the Infant Headbed for use in her car seat and bouncy seat to take the pressure off. She inchworms herself all over the crib while she sleeps at night (despite being swaddled) so it is hard to position her at all at that time. I wonder if it makes sense to switch gears at this point and take Mila to one of the specialists that are on the specialist list on this group site (we live in MI). I also wonder that the next steps are. Do they wait until the child is older to perscribe helmet or band therapy? Since Mila is so young, is there anything they will or should do this early?Thank you so much for your assistance!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 I totally agree with you about the swaddling. Luke didn't sleep well without being swaddled. I always wondered why he didn't turn his head like the other babies I knew. Then I started thinking about when he " escaped " his swaddle, he turned his head and his arm(s) would be above his head. I think it's called the fencer reflex or something like that. But my pediatrician told me that as long as he sleeps well while being swaddled to keep doing it. My husband & I are planning to have another child and I have a list of " not to do's " from this group to prevent plagio/brachy. Luke, 10 months old NYC > > > > That is about the same age that i noticed my daughter's flat head. At that time, it was the right side. > > > > At this age, repositioning is probably your best bet. Most helmet places won't band younger than 3 to 4 months. One thing I did that i believe restricted my daughter's ability to move her head in the crib was the swaddling. Because she had reflux and milk allergy, she didn't sleep well and swaddling helped so I swaddled her until she was 7 months old. I now believe that this prevented her from naturally moving her head while sleeping. you might want to try not swaddling to see if it helps the head position during sleep. > > > > Here are some links on repositioning tips. I wish that someone had given me these when my daughter was this young. Maybe we could have avoided ever needing treatment. > > > > http://www.cranialtech.com/images/stories/Files/positioningprotocol.pdf > > > > http://www.minti.com/parenting-advice/8164/Repositioning-Therapy-to-Correct-Flat\ -Head-or-Plagiocephaly/ > > > > http://www.starcranialcenter.com/pdf/reposition_guide_dallas.pdf > > > > > Hope this helps. > > > > , mom to , 2 years > > STARband grad may 2009 > > land > > > > > Ticker id: IvP3  Ticker id: yZZP    Ticker id: lFno > > > > Just Joined > >  > > > > > I am so happy to see this group. My baby, Mila is 10 weeks old and has positional plagiocephaly with flattening on her left side. She has a tendency to turn her head slightly to her left since birth. I noticed her positional preference shortly after she was born and mentioned it to the doctor but she didn't think it was significant and did not detect evidence of torticolis. I then noticed the flattening when she was 6 weeks old and went back to the pediatrician who referred us to a physical therapist at that time. The physical therapist confirmed that Mila does NOT have torticollis and recommended a head scan (we are waiting for this now). > > I have been trying repositioning techniques, but Mila is very stubborn in her preference to turn her head just slightly off center to the left. I have been using the Infant Headbed for use in her car seat and bouncy seat to take the pressure off. She inchworms herself all over the crib while she sleeps at night (despite being swaddled) so it is hard to position her at all at that time. > > I wonder if it makes sense to switch gears at this point and take Mila to one of the specialists that are on the specialist list on this group site (we live in MI). I also wonder that the next steps are. Do they wait until the child is older to perscribe helmet or band therapy? Since Mila is so young, is there anything they will or should do this early? > > Thank you so much for your assistance!! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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