
5 month old, flathead syndrome/ plagiocephaly, Helmet or repo?
My 5 month old sons head is flat on the right side and it doesnt seem to be improving. I noticed it when he was 8 weeks old and mentioned to my GP, but she said it will round out when he starts supporting his head. He has been supporting his head since he was 10 weeks old and no change.
I took him back to the doctors when he was 18 weeks seeking advice on what to do and who can help me, the doctor gave the same old lines ' it will round out eventually' and 'his hair will cover it if it doesnt'!! Which really annoyed me!Some people see it as a cosmetic issue, but I disagree. I do not want my son to grow up with a misshapen head - for him to be bullied at school, not able to find hats/ helmets to fit his head etc.
Since week 18 I have been doing everything possible to keep him off the flat side, I have seen a tiny improvement, but not much. I am thinking of going ahead with helmet/banding treatment to reshape his head but not sure what to do
Would appreciate any comments on this!!
First of all, if you are not happy with the doctor's advice and you truly feel the helmet is what your baby needs, then you may want to switch doctors or get a second opinion.
Secondly, two out of my three kids had the flat spots. One of them was particularly bad, because she is a twin and was positioned funny in the uterus, her neck was always leaning to one side, and caused a flat spot on her head. I was very concerned with her. She is now 15 months and it has for the most part corrected itself. At her one year appointment the doctor said it would be fine. My oldest also had the flat spot. It also corrected itself over time.
Until you decid on a helmet or not, just try to keep baby off of his "flat" side as much as possible. Lots of tummy time worked for us also. Good luck!
|