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WWYD re: head clinic and helmet?
So we had Alyssa's 6 month appt today and she is perfect!! She weighs 16 1/2 pounds, she's 26 inches long, and she's happy and healthy in every way. The only "problem" is that she has "borderline/mild plagiocephaly" that has made one side of her head a little flat (although it's starting to really correct itself because the only time she's on her back now is when she's in her crib) ... and has also made the right side of her face, her cheek, look a little bigger than the other side. Our pedi isn't concerned but he definitely hesitated when I asked him his thoughts on the helmet when he said that was the only way to correct it (because Alyssa totally favors her right side without torticollis no matter what we do) ... I wanted to know if he did suggest a consult at the "head clinic" ... and he basically said that because her brain will grow symmetrically and her skull is still soft and fusing, the chances that this is going to be a future problem are very slim and that only he and I will notice it, because he's got the trained eye and I'm her mother. He did say it wouldn't be a total waste of time to go visit the specialist, though, if we decided to.
Eugene doesn't think it's necessary at all and he thinks that it will just correct itself. I wonder if it's really that noticeable and if I'm ultimately doing my daughter a disservice if we just let it go.
What might you do?
Re: WWYD re: head clinic and helmet?
I'm sorry to hear that Amye!! If it were me I think I would go. I agree that the bones in Alyssa's head are still growing and are soft and flexible. It probably will correct itself in no time.. however I would still go to the "head clinic". It cant hurt going to see what they say and what their opinions are. They will probably be able to give you some tips on what to do with her and ways to help the plagiocephaly. You're only thinking of your daughter by going. They may say there is nothing that can be done because its a mild form and she will just need time to heal. And if that is what the conclusion of your consult is, than I still feel its worth going to see someone who specializes in this.
Good luck!! I can't believe Alyssa is 6 months already!!
As an infant Andrew was in PT for torticollis and he definitely had a flat spot on one side of his head. B/c of this facial features were a little off, as you mentioned with Alyssa. (No one else can tell except a parent!) He was in PT for 2-3 months to correct the toricollis. I was very nervous about him needing a helmet. Once he gained neck control and was off of his head more in an exersaucer, etc., it rounded out on it's own. At 6 months he started rolling to his belly while sleeping, so he was off it more at night too.
Well, here I am with baby #2, and wouldn't you know it, but Avery also is in PT for the same thing. What are the chances? She started at 2 months, Andrew started at 3 months.
I would say she will probably be fine, especially if the doctor isn't concerned, but as her mother, do whatever will give you piece of mind. I never had to go any further than a PT for Andrew. Good luck!
Hi Amye.. I went through this with my daughter except she had brachiocephaly, which is unifrom flattening on the back of her head. It was considered very mild by my pedi, but we went to Boston Children's hospital in Waltham MA and saw Dr. Rogers, a craniofacial specialist. He said that her head was actually flatter than we thought and may or may not round itself out over time. We opted to get a helmet for Charlotte because the way we looked at it is that if she had crooked teeth we would get braces for her, etc. I did not want her to go through life with a really flat head if it was something we could correct. It worked beautifully. She only had to wear it for 8 weeks and it made her head much rounder. It is now still continuing to round out over time on it's own, but I believe the helmet really jumpstarted the process and it may not have happened on its own. It did not cause her any problems at all. She still slept the same and continued to meet milestones while wearing it. People would frequently comment on how cute she looked in the helmet while we were out.I say definitely see the specialist. It cannot do any harm, especially if it is covered by insurance. Best wishes to you and your daughter,,
Jenny
There are a lot of babies in our early intevention program who have to wear helmets. Usually our PT suggests positioning therapy for a bit then the helmet if there continues to be a problem. Was this noticed at a previous appt and has there been any progress with just positioning therapy? Have any measurements been taken?
I know parents who have had to do the helmet and are now SO GLAD that they did it.
It won't hurt to get a second opinion.
The PT I work with also mentioned some kids can end up with depth perception issues from the assymetries. But I don't know much of this from a research standpoint, just what I have learned from doing home visits with the PT
Good luck with your decision!
Chrissy
My DD wore a helmet for plagio so I understand what a hard decision it is!! I did a ton of research on the topic before deciding. Our decision was more difficult as our insurance did not cover it (it was $2,200 out of pocket). I think it rests on the severity. Hayley's was moderate and I would go back and forth thinking "Her head looks fine" one day to "OMG her head looks AWLFUL" the next. If it had been mild I would not have done it. Although as Jenny mentioned the whole helmet process was not a big deal at all! She wore it for about 2.5 months with no issues and we saw correction right away. I think the stress of whether or not to get the helmet lasted longer and was worse than her actually wearing the stupid thing!
The big problem with deciding is that plagio is often the worst at 6 months and that's just when they sit up, move around BUT that's also the time you want to start treatment as it's more effective / shorter if started at 6/7 months vs. 10/11 months. There are a lot of 1 year olds starting treatment so it doesn't always get better.
Hayley had/has severe torticollis so in the end I decided "better safe than sorry" esp. since she had tort. Once I made the decision to get the helmet I wanted it yesterday. We were referred to the "Noggin Clinic" at DMC but the next one wasn't for 2 months so we just went to Children's in Boston for an appointment ASAP.
Yahoo! has a great plagio support group (but it's a little pro-helmet since most people on it have kids w/ helmets) so only visit if you REALLY want more info. . . but you will find everything you ever wanted to know about plagio!
Good luck. . I don't see much facial asymmetry in her pic (which is adorable). Hayley's was noticeable. She didn?t have what you think of as a "flat head" so people didn't "see it" right away. Nothing really looked ?flat? but it was more of a bulge on one side and her ears, eyes, are checks were "off." From the sound of it hers is probably a lot more mild than Hayley?s was but if you get her checked they can give you measurements so you?ll know for sure.