Re: Doesn't like his new helmet, HELP!! VERY frustrated

[Guest guest]

It may be that the band doesn't fit properly. Are there any red spots?

What kind of helmet do you have and how much experience does the ortho

have? Can you post pics of your baby in the helmet - maybe something

about the fit might be detected by one of us that is used to looking

at these more (small chance, but still). Does it squish his head or

press on his neck when he is laying down? Hopefully you'll be able to

fix something so he can get correction and he won't be continually

crying.

-christine

sydney, almost 3 yrs, starband grad

>

> It's been three weeks since we got this helmet. We have been through

> one adjustment. Basically, he doesn't like his helmet contrary to

> what others say - he will accept it quickly. During the day, if I

> hold him all the time, he is fine. I have to take it off when I

> breastfeed him, and at night, if he has it on, he wakes up screaming,

> sweating. (I bought him a cotton, comfortable outfit) If I'm lucky,

> he will fall asleep, but he will cry every 30 minutes. It's been

> stressful to me, my husband, and my three-year old son. My baby used

> to sleep for nine hours from 6-3, then 3 hours after, but since we got

> this helmet, he wakes up 3-4 times a night. It's very stressful, and

> I have to choose our mental health or his plagio treatment.

>

> We tried to put it on before he falls asleep (before feeding), and

> sometimes it worked. But these days I put it on after he falls

> asleep. Sometimes he stays asleep, but he will wake up crying right

> away or 10 minutes later. Medical professionals just say I choose

> what I have to do, and the only thing they can do is to tell me the

> helmet has to be on for 20-23 hours a day.

>

> I'm losing my patience, and I have been taking lots of " break " from

> the helmet. I don't know if the baby's head's deformity is

> progressing or getting better on its on. I started seeing some round

> spots. Now I use a Japanese " futon " for babies, the mattress is a

> little softer, but safe enough to be on the market, in case I can't

> put the helmet on him.

>

> please help - he is still screaming and my husband hasn't come home yet!

>

[Guest guest]

Oh I know your pain! My son is 9 months and he is in his starband for

about one week. He now wakes up 4-5 times every night and he screams

when I put him down. He has a cold and coughs and he is teething at the

same time. So we don't know what is causing this trouble.

There seems no red spot on his head and it seems that the band doesn't

bother him during the day. Just at night.

Help!

[Guest guest]

I'm so sorry to hear that things haven't been going smoothly for you.

I think my daughter took a bit longer to adjust than most; she was 9

months when she got the helmet and probably took about 3-4 weeks to be

totally comfortable in it. And, I hate to say it, but 5 months into

wearing the helmet, she still wakes at night about 3-4 times. Now,

she was not a great sleeper pre-helmet, so I can't swear it is the

helmet, but my guess is that it's not making it any better. Though it

is awkward to breastfeed with the helmet on (and we had a pretty hard

time when she first got the helmet) if you can, I'd try and nurse with

the helmet on just to give one more positive association with the

helmet. I do this at night when she wakes - it puts her right back to

sleep. Also, my daughter seemed to most dislike the on-off; so if you

can keep it on except for bath time, hopefully that will speed up the

adjustment period a bit and eventually he should forget about it.

All in all, with a rough start and all of the lack of sleep (my

husband and I both work full time and have a 4 year old), we are so

pleased that the assymetry is down from 9mm to 3mm.

And like the other posters said, I would also be sure to check with

your ortho regarding fit.

Good luck!

e - mom to Ava, 5 months in hanger band

[Guest guest]

You may have already thought of this, but since I didn't see

how old he is...

Could he also be teething?

Give him some baby saline nose spray/drops, especially

before bed and nursing.

If he is experiencing some sort of pain that is causing the

fussiness, he may be having some 'referred' pain, so the

pain is somewhere else or it may be worse when in certain

positions or if sinuses are pressing on the gums or ears

canals, etc.

Here is a good diagram of when they erupt teeth, etc.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pediatricdent

istryofsalem.com/assets/tooth_diagram_primary.gif & imgrefurl=

http://www.pediatricdentistryofsalem.com/teeth_charts.htm & h=

490 & w=600 & sz=252 & tbnid=Tw5i3bXMcIgJ:: & tbnh=110 & tbnw=135 & prev

=/images%3Fq%3Dwhen%2Bbabies%2Bgets%2Bteeth%2Bdiagram & hl=en &

usg=__5rUL7ehLsBjDP_1L7pbiC1uT-6o= & sa=X & oi=image_result & resn

um=3 & ct=image & cd=1

Also, you mentioned that you remove the band when nursing,

maybe leaving it on or even putting it on during a comfort

time such as nursing will help him get used to it. Or, is

it removed for positioning? If so, maybe you could call or

get with a La Leche League Leader in your area.

I mention this because our generally easy-going baby started

fussing a lot shortly after getting his band. He finally

cut his first tooth about a month later - he was later than

our other kids in getting his teeth and then they all

started coming in a once! Ouch!

{{{Positive vibes coming your way}}}

-Margaret

[Guest guest]

We had the same problem with our daughter. She was a colicky baby,

EXTREMELY fussy, cranky, terrible sleeper, she would get up 4-5

times through the nite crying before we even got the band. We went

ahead with the band but only made it 2 weeks. It was the worst two

weeks of my life. I was also struggling with postpartum depression

so that made it even worse. If you've made it three weeks though I

say try and hang in there, like someone else said it could be

teething. Sending good vibes your way...

- In Plagiocephaly , " ygoodmountain "

<ygoodmountain@...> wrote:

>

> It's been three weeks since we got this helmet. We have been

through

> one adjustment. Basically, he doesn't like his helmet contrary to

> what others say - he will accept it quickly. During the day, if I

> hold him all the time, he is fine. I have to take it off when I

> breastfeed him, and at night, if he has it on, he wakes up

screaming,

> sweating. (I bought him a cotton, comfortable outfit) If I'm

lucky,

> he will fall asleep, but he will cry every 30 minutes. It's been

> stressful to me, my husband, and my three-year old son. My baby

used

> to sleep for nine hours from 6-3, then 3 hours after, but since we

got

> this helmet, he wakes up 3-4 times a night. It's very stressful,

and

> I have to choose our mental health or his plagio treatment.

>

> We tried to put it on before he falls asleep (before feeding), and

> sometimes it worked. But these days I put it on after he falls

> asleep. Sometimes he stays asleep, but he will wake up crying

right

> away or 10 minutes later. Medical professionals just say I choose

> what I have to do, and the only thing they can do is to tell me the

> helmet has to be on for 20-23 hours a day.

>

> I'm losing my patience, and I have been taking lots of " break " from

> the helmet. I don't know if the baby's head's deformity is

> progressing or getting better on its on. I started seeing some

round

> spots. Now I use a Japanese " futon " for babies, the mattress is a

> little softer, but safe enough to be on the market, in case I can't

> put the helmet on him.

>

> please help - he is still screaming and my husband hasn't come

home yet!

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you everybody for your support and empathy.

And sorry for not introducing myself. I'm new to this group.

I was so upset last night that I forgot to do this.

My son's name is E (my husband prefers to be private) and he is almost

6 months old. He was born 5 weeks early, and has milk protein

allergy. He had reflux, so we had to put him in a car seat a lot.

Combined with his soft head, he developed flat head due to these

conditions I mentioned. He has plagiocepharcy. His right ear is

sticking out and his eyes look like those of a typical plagio baby.

Now he can roll over or move around the room.

His helmet says, " Boston Band (Brace?) " that I got from Children's

Hospital. The doc said his case is severe that we can't use StarBand.

He had an adjustment about 10 days ago. I think he was doing better

this adjustment. He could keep sleeping after I put it on while he

was asleep. Now he just can't sleep in it, except when he is in a car

seat.

I'd appreciate it if anyone could share tips how he can get used to

this helmet. Does he need a different brand, a second one? I agree

that he needs another adjustment. I already spoke to an orthotist,

but all he could say is to do the best I can and I make the final

decision. (Not really a practical help) We have an appointment with a

craninofacial specialist on Monday, but probably we will end up

talking only about medical stuff, not daily, practical tips. Also we

have an appointment with an orthotist and I will ask him to adjust a

helmet then.

Thank you very much.

>

> It's been three weeks since we got this helmet. We have been through

> one adjustment. Basically, he doesn't like his helmet contrary to

> what others say - he will accept it quickly. During the day, if I

> hold him all the time, he is fine. I have to take it off when I

> breastfeed him, and at night, if he has it on, he wakes up screaming,

> sweating. (I bought him a cotton, comfortable outfit) If I'm lucky,

> he will fall asleep, but he will cry every 30 minutes. It's been

> stressful to me, my husband, and my three-year old son. My baby used

> to sleep for nine hours from 6-3, then 3 hours after, but since we got

> this helmet, he wakes up 3-4 times a night. It's very stressful, and

> I have to choose our mental health or his plagio treatment.

>

> We tried to put it on before he falls asleep (before feeding), and

> sometimes it worked. But these days I put it on after he falls

> asleep. Sometimes he stays asleep, but he will wake up crying right

> away or 10 minutes later. Medical professionals just say I choose

> what I have to do, and the only thing they can do is to tell me the

> helmet has to be on for 20-23 hours a day.

>

> I'm losing my patience, and I have been taking lots of " break " from

> the helmet. I don't know if the baby's head's deformity is

> progressing or getting better on its on. I started seeing some round

> spots. Now I use a Japanese " futon " for babies, the mattress is a

> little softer, but safe enough to be on the market, in case I can't

> put the helmet on him.

>

> please help - he is still screaming and my husband hasn't come home yet!

>

[Guest guest]

I'd keep with it as if he's a severe enough case to use a helmet over a band he's a severe enough case repositioning won't be much help. If you don't do what you can now, there's a good chance you'll regret it more later as there's not a big window to resolve plagio effectively.

My daughter didn't do so well when she got her helmet either. She wasn't a preemie, only two weeks early, but has gone through a number of issues including a severe case of tort they have to fix surgically and bad reflux. Her plagio developed inutero so it's a harder case to correct than those that develop later and she may be longer in her helmet than others her age. She screamed bloody murder almost constantly when it was on for almost the first two weeks she had it. Then she went to screaming only when we put it on or took it off. Now she only fusses for the on/off and in generally ok with it. We went through our Children's Hospital and have a local helmet that's not a star band or anything common nationally. I asked the reasons why and was told the type she has is more light weight and better for more severe cases than the bands.

We did take longer for the break in period. It took us close to two weeks to work up to the 23 hours a day instead of the week it was supposed to. The more it's warn the better for obvious reasons, but if it's a bad day and you have to choose, have it on when he's lying down more and off more when he's sitting freely (not leaning against something). That the choice we made in the beginning after talking with the ortho about it. That way you're protecting the flat spot from more pressure. By the end of the first two weeks we saw improvement.

The more upset you are about it the more upset they are, so do everything you can to make the helmet fun. We tell Elly it's her silly hat and go on about how much fun it is and how cute it makes her. We clap, make noises, sing song and such about it, which seems to help. If she fusses more than 5 minutes we tell her to knock it off because everything is OK and she's just bringing the drama. Which usually turns in to smiles in no time. Distraction works as does associating it with comfort whenever you can.

Some kids never adjust fully but things should get better with time. I looked at it like this. What was the worst case scenario? The helmet was helping her so if we stuck with it we were looking at 4-6 months of a insanely fussy baby. We were willing to go through it as the pay off down the road was worth it. She'd never remember the experience and in no time it would be a distant memory for us.

Obviously continue to rule out any actual discomfort the helmet may be causing. Get re adjusted, keep an eye out for red spots, and so on. Other than that, hang in there.

Elaine (Twin A) 6 mos old, tort & plagio, helmet ~6 weeks

On Sun, Nov 30, 2008 at 12:54 PM, ygoodmountain <ygoodmountain@...> wrote:

Thank you everybody for your support and empathy.And sorry for not introducing myself. I'm new to this group.I was so upset last night that I forgot to do this.My son's name is E (my husband prefers to be private) and he is almost

6 months old. He was born 5 weeks early, and has milk proteinallergy. He had reflux, so we had to put him in a car seat a lot. Combined with his soft head, he developed flat head due to theseconditions I mentioned. He has plagiocepharcy. His right ear is

sticking out and his eyes look like those of a typical plagio baby.Now he can roll over or move around the room. His helmet says, " Boston Band (Brace?) " that I got from Children'sHospital. The doc said his case is severe that we can't use StarBand.

He had an adjustment about 10 days ago. I think he was doing betterthis adjustment. He could keep sleeping after I put it on while hewas asleep. Now he just can't sleep in it, except when he is in a car

seat.I'd appreciate it if anyone could share tips how he can get used tothis helmet. Does he need a different brand, a second one? I agreethat he needs another adjustment. I already spoke to an orthotist,

but all he could say is to do the best I can and I make the finaldecision. (Not really a practical help) We have an appointment with acraninofacial specialist on Monday, but probably we will end uptalking only about medical stuff, not daily, practical tips. Also we

have an appointment with an orthotist and I will ask him to adjust ahelmet then.Thank you very much.>> It's been three weeks since we got this helmet. We have been through> one adjustment. Basically, he doesn't like his helmet contrary to

> what others say - he will accept it quickly. During the day, if I> hold him all the time, he is fine. I have to take it off when I> breastfeed him, and at night, if he has it on, he wakes up screaming,

> sweating. (I bought him a cotton, comfortable outfit) If I'm lucky,> he will fall asleep, but he will cry every 30 minutes. It's been > stressful to me, my husband, and my three-year old son. My baby used

> to sleep for nine hours from 6-3, then 3 hours after, but since we got> this helmet, he wakes up 3-4 times a night. It's very stressful, and> I have to choose our mental health or his plagio treatment.

> > We tried to put it on before he falls asleep (before feeding), and> sometimes it worked. But these days I put it on after he falls> asleep. Sometimes he stays asleep, but he will wake up crying right

> away or 10 minutes later. Medical professionals just say I choose> what I have to do, and the only thing they can do is to tell me the> helmet has to be on for 20-23 hours a day.> > I'm losing my patience, and I have been taking lots of " break " from

> the helmet. I don't know if the baby's head's deformity is> progressing or getting better on its on. I started seeing some round> spots. Now I use a Japanese " futon " for babies, the mattress is a

> little softer, but safe enough to be on the market, in case I can't> put the helmet on him.> > please help - he is still screaming and my husband hasn't come home yet!>