Baby with Misshapen Head

My twin girls' heads were slightly misshapen when they were that age; it was probably about that age that we discovered it. Much of the problem was due to the way we positioned their heads all the time; they had a lot of problems with reflux and we went to a lot of trouble to keep them upright etc but they were always in one position with their head. Doctors did not bother to tell us the problem about positioning. We were also scared to death and they told us the girls might need to wear those helmets. We took them to the doctors and talked about the helmets and they were really pushing it. But we decided against the helmets and instead starting positioning differently. Every time you lay the baby down, move its head around. Roll up a towel or blanket to help keep him in position. For us, since they had to be on their backs and upright so much, our nanny suggested that we buy the little donuts that you use under baby's heads in strollers; we turned it upside down and used it to lift the baby's head up so no weight was on the chair or crib. We started seeing improvement in a few weeks and now our daughters' heads are perfect. Email me if you want me to send you a current picture. So calm down, talk to the doctors, and start moving his head around. If the head is a real problem, your doctor will talk to you about the helmet. My understanding is that the helmet can really really help out. So just know that whatever the problem is, you still have time to fix it, so just calm down. You will be presented with many many issues to get scared about during the infancy of yuor child. That's just part of the job of being mom. good luck.

My boy had Plagiocephaly, exactly as Trish explained. We also used Cranial Technologies (2 months in our case), and you can't tell a thing now. You can try calling them to see if they can get you in for the free no obligation evaluation sooner than your doctor's appointment, but you may not be able to get in any quicker. Either way, give them a call you have nothing to lose just going for that eval. I am sure your baby is fine. It is scary, but the helmet is really no big deal. It didn't even phase my son at all. He didn't act any differently at all wearing it. There is also a really good support group on Yahoo Groups - just do a search in Yahoo Groups for plagiocephaly.

Bless your heart! I hate that you can't get in to see anyone before the weekend! Do you have a family doctor or someone else that can maybe ease your mind?

Could it be the way that he lays? You know at that young of an age their skulls are still so soft if he keeps his head in any one potision too much it can cause some some of the problems like you are talking about.

Try to calm down (easier said than done) and maybe just show up at the doctor's office??? Will they really turn you away if you are there??? At least ask to see a nurse.

Good Luck and PLEASE post back and let us know what happens.

My daughter head and face started to become misshapen when she was 2 months old due to Torticollis.

She had Plagiocephaly - flattening on one side of the head which pushed one side of her face forward.

It is common due to the Back To Sleep Campaign for kids to have flattening on the back of the head - premee babys get this a lot. There are different types and not anything to stress over...it can be fixed!!!!

Early treatment is the key! The longer you wait to fix it the harder it is to fix it!

She recieved a DOC band to help reshape her head she wore it for 3 months and now she has a beautiful round noggin!

Although ins does not pay for it in Most cases not All it depends on the Ins. Out of pocket cost is $3000 but WORTH EVERY PENNY!!! We had Care Credit so it helped pay for $2500 and we just had to pay off the card.

Here is the web site for more info.

http://www.cranialtech.com/

Try not to worry ... the doc can check it out in 3 days and IMO, nothing would happen overnight ... so I don't think there's harm in waiting just a couple more days. I know it's hard .. but try not to dwell on it.

YES, babies head shapes are constantly changing ... do you think it's from how he's laying - or do you think it's changing on its own and his forehead is abnormally protruding? if you are extremely concerned ... then be sure to tell that to your doc .. sometimes, docs blow it off b/c of their soft skulls .. sometimes ... things to need be done .. like a Doc Band or scans, to make sure all is well. (To this day, I wish I had gotten a doc band for my now 7 year old ... no one else notices .. but I see the flatter side .. b/c of how he slept .. the dr. kept telling me that it would eventually round out .. and it didn't really - so I wish I had been more persistent, but he was my first and I just trusted the doc).

Try to not do too much googling at this point. Online info can be so wonderfully helpful, and at the same time .. horribly scary and alarming! Sorry that I don't have any great advice .. just wait and see what the doctor says! :-D

Do not worry that much. Babies heads get flatt on the side they lay most. His head eventually will recover, but if you want to hel, try to make him sleep in different positions. Old doctors do not worry about this. Be very carefull if your doctor is young and wants to do an MRI, that is ridiculous and many drs. try to do this just to be protected by law. Ask older doctors if you are not satisfy with their answers.

Hi L.,
There was a similar posting a few weeks ago and here was my response....I experienced the same thing where my sons head was started to misshapen to one side and this worked for me. It is alarming, especially when drs start talking about helmets, but it can be corrected naturally! Also, like another poster said, stay off internet sites you don't 100% know show material from credible sources...all they do is cause unnecessary worry! Good luck!
---------------------------------------------

I just went through this exact same thing in that my 18 week old son. Because he favored looking to the right side so much, his skull began to develop disproportionately and my pedi said exactly the same thing about the helmet. I was able to 100% correct it naturally within three weeks by laying him on the opposite side to sleep (he sleeps on his side), holding him the opposite way when I bottle fed him, only approaching him from the left, laying all his toys on the opposite side, etc. I truly believe that by placing him on his opposite side while he slept caused his skull to balance out and he got 100% cleared from the pedi just today at his 4 month check up. It took a lot of awareness on the part of my husband and I, as well as his teachers at his daycare and our in-laws, but by totally changing the way we held him, the way we laid him down to sleep, doing his neck exercises, etc. we were able to correct it. My pedi said that a baby favoring one side is totally normal, but we have to do what we can to encourage him/her to use both sides of the neck and head.
I know this can be really alarming (imagining your poor little one in a helmet!), but it can be corrected naturally with patience and awareness. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any additional questions.
As for tummy time, an alternative I found for my little one is that it does count if the baby is laying on his tummy actually ON your tummy. So if he doesn't like laying on the ground, lay on your back and lay his tummy on yours. Its great for one-on-one contact and it will encourage him to look up at your face when you talk to him.

what did you doc said