After leaving that shocking & devastating appointment
--it was hard--
but I had to remind myself that I was
so thankful
that we were dealing with a relatively “minor” issue as far as medical issues can go;
but I had to remind myself that I was
so thankful
that we were dealing with a relatively “minor” issue as far as medical issues can go;
and that Cohen is a healthy, happy little guy…
he just has a small flat!
Steven was a lot more ready to start the process,
but I wasn’t at that same place....
However, after A LOT of prayer, supportive family, physical measurements taken, and some time,
I have come to realize that this is the
ONLY time we will be able to do anything to help him;
and I can’t let this time go without trying....
What I also realized in this time of preparing for his helmet
was that many people have SO many questions regarding cranial helmets,
and that it was up to us to help educate everyone as much as possible
so we would have a good support network as we go through this journey together.
That is why I felt the need to create this "informational" blog post--
he just has a small flat!
Steven was a lot more ready to start the process,
but I wasn’t at that same place....
However, after A LOT of prayer, supportive family, physical measurements taken, and some time,
I have come to realize that this is the
ONLY time we will be able to do anything to help him;
and I can’t let this time go without trying....
What I also realized in this time of preparing for his helmet
was that many people have SO many questions regarding cranial helmets,
and that it was up to us to help educate everyone as much as possible
so we would have a good support network as we go through this journey together.
That is why I felt the need to create this "informational" blog post--
to help explain what everything means, to share the experience, and to ask for prayers and support as we embark upon this journey.
To begin, "Plagiocephaly" refers to the flattening or deformation of an infant's head and is treated by cranial remolding orthoses. Occurring in approximately one in every ten infants, the incidence of plagiocephaly has been on the rise, increasing by 600% since 1992 when the American Academy of Pediatrics started its "Back to Sleep" program which encourages parents to position infants on their backs while sleeping. The successful program reduced the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by nearly 40%, but also resulted in the climbing incidence of deformational plagiocephaly.
"Brachycephaly" is often caused by sleeping on the back, which causes the back of the head to flatten uniformly, causing a wider and shorter shape. Increased head height is also common.
There are different types of plagiocephaly, Cohen's is categorized as “mild” brachycephaly (according to his specialist). Therefore, because he has a mild case, it should be a rather quick process (meaning only, and thankfully, one helmet rather than the typical 5-7 rounds of orthoses)--with the use of an external source (a helmet)--to correct the problem. Even though he doesn’t have the severity that some babies might exhibit, he does have a flat spot on the back right of his head and a slight bump on the front right of his forehead. This bump is due to the fact that the back right side of his head is being pushed forward ever so slightly. Thus, the helmet would apply pressure on the front right and back left of Cohen's head to hold the growth of those areas while the front left and back right are then able to essentially "catch up".
This site: http://www.hanger.com/orthotics/services/plagiocephaly/Pages/default.aspx
contains further information/pictures about/of plagiocephaly and all of its forms. It is also the clinic in which Cohen will receive his helmet from and have his future brachycephaly appointments.
To begin, "Plagiocephaly" refers to the flattening or deformation of an infant's head and is treated by cranial remolding orthoses. Occurring in approximately one in every ten infants, the incidence of plagiocephaly has been on the rise, increasing by 600% since 1992 when the American Academy of Pediatrics started its "Back to Sleep" program which encourages parents to position infants on their backs while sleeping. The successful program reduced the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by nearly 40%, but also resulted in the climbing incidence of deformational plagiocephaly.
"Brachycephaly" is often caused by sleeping on the back, which causes the back of the head to flatten uniformly, causing a wider and shorter shape. Increased head height is also common.
There are different types of plagiocephaly, Cohen's is categorized as “mild” brachycephaly (according to his specialist). Therefore, because he has a mild case, it should be a rather quick process (meaning only, and thankfully, one helmet rather than the typical 5-7 rounds of orthoses)--with the use of an external source (a helmet)--to correct the problem. Even though he doesn’t have the severity that some babies might exhibit, he does have a flat spot on the back right of his head and a slight bump on the front right of his forehead. This bump is due to the fact that the back right side of his head is being pushed forward ever so slightly. Thus, the helmet would apply pressure on the front right and back left of Cohen's head to hold the growth of those areas while the front left and back right are then able to essentially "catch up".
This site: http://www.hanger.com/orthotics/services/plagiocephaly/Pages/default.aspx
contains further information/pictures about/of plagiocephaly and all of its forms. It is also the clinic in which Cohen will receive his helmet from and have his future brachycephaly appointments.
My sister's daughter had this when she was a baby and her head came out just fine! But yeah, people do give you some funny looks sometimes when the helmet is on!
ReplyDeleteYes I am realizing that the helmet is becoming a much more common thing (due to the whole "back to sleep" campaign to reduce SIDS). Thanks for sharing about your sister's daughter, I am glad it went well for them! And YES, even though the helmet is on the rise, there are still plenty of people out there that just don't know about it (as I was pretty ignorant before Cohen got his helmet). And so that is why they give looks, because it is a rather shocking site to see an infant's head in these helmets, and they just plain don't know what is going on/why. It can be frightening/worrisome. But that is why I am choosing to be open about it: To help inform others and to help me through it, too :)
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