Flat head

[emma1325]

I'm really not sure where this post belongs, so if it needs to be moved, I apologize.

I have a relative whose daughter has an extremely flat head. It started as an infant when she was switched from partial breastfeeding to full formula (around 4 weeks or so) and began sleeping ridiculously long hours at night. Her mom was so proud of her for sleeping from 6 pm to 7 or 8 am, and praised the heavenly formula.

There was a bit of an obsession, I think, on the part of the mother, to get the child to sleep excessively. She was wrapped in a swaddler blanket which secured with velcro and kept her snug as a bug. In addition to the night sleeping, she also took at least one nap during the day.

The first time I saw the baby at 4 months old, I was shocked. Her ears were at points on the side of her head. Her side profile was...well, shocking. All I kept thinking was..."OMG...her head is deformed!" According to her parents, the pediatrician had nothing to say about it other than to try to get her to sleep in different positions, to which they scoffed at since her head was so molded to the crib, it was nearly impossible.

Anyway, she is now 4 years old, and still has a pretty flat head. It isn't so severe, although her hair camouflages it. I saw her recently and was asked to fix her hair, so as I was brushing it I felt her head and sure enough, the flatness was still pretty bad. And from the front, the sides of her head and ears still stick out as a result. This makes me so sad...I kept thinking...what if this child wants a trendy short cut when she's older? I doubt she'll have that option. And what if the other children notice her head and give her grief over it? All of this for the sake of having a "good" baby who sleeps through the night.

Has anyone known a child with this condition whose head got much better as he/she grew up? I'm wondering if (and hoping that) her head will continue to get rounder as she gets older.

Thanks.

[GoestoShow]

.

Edited by GoestoShow - 1/3/11 at 12:17pm

[emma1325]

Originally Posted by GoestoShow

The condition you speak of is called plagiocephaly, and it appears that at least for babies, special helmets can be used to help reshape the head. I don't know about for children who are older. But if you google the term, you may find some information of worth.

Most of the information, though, is focused on babies 18 months and younger. I couldn't find any info. on children older than that.

I wondered back then when she was an infant why the ped didn't recommend a helmet. But now the flatness is not addressed by the parents at all...it's a non-issue. I don't think they notice it as much because they're used to it.

[lovemybubus]

It is unfortunate about her head. I have read about the condition myself when a friend was going through it and it said that most of the time helmets are not needed the head will round-out on its own.

That said, I have to mention something that's been bothering me lately, so if this seems directly pointed at you (OP) it's not. I read things a lot where people want to flame those who use formula and CIO, etc. I am against those things for my family, we have the family bed and I believe in CLW however, these are not always the easiest choices and I have a more than supportive dh. My dear friend just went back to work f/t and her 4 month old son had to CIO, she also suffers from severe depression and anxiety, a full night sleep is crucial to her. Are there other ways to get this, possibly but she also pumps all day at work (which takes a lot out of a person) and she is responsible for giving medical treatment to people every day. She needs to be on her "game." Anyway, I just want to point out that formula feeding, and being a sleep "pusher" are parenting *choices* and I wish we (as a group, society, etc) funneled this energy into things like circumcision which is a human rights issue, not a choice.

There. Off my soap box now, thank you very much.

[emma1325]

Originally Posted by lovemybubus

It is unfortunate about her head. I have read about the condition myself when a friend was going through it and it said that most of the time helmets are not needed the head will round-out on its own.

That said, I have to mention something that's been bothering me lately, so if this seems directly pointed at you (OP) it's not. I read things a lot where people want to flame those who use formula and CIO, etc. I am against those things for my family, we have the family bed and I believe in CLW however, these are not always the easiest choices and I have a more than supportive dh. My dear friend just went back to work f/t and her 4 month old son had to CIO, she also suffers from severe depression and anxiety, a full night sleep is crucial to her. Are there other ways to get this, possibly but she also pumps all day at work (which takes a lot out of a person) and she is responsible for giving medical treatment to people every day. She needs to be on her "game." Anyway, I just want to point out that formula feeding, and being a sleep "pusher" are parenting *choices* and I wish we (as a group, society, etc) funneled this energy into things like circumcision which is a human rights issue, not a choice.

There. Off my soap box now, thank you very much.

Hey, I'm not offended and I just wanted to mention that I wasn't intending to be offensive with my post. I really have nothing against different parenting choices...CIO and formula feeding...while they're not choices I would make for my family, I realize that other loving parents do.

It just seems to me that this situation was a bit extreme and so far has resulted in what I view as an unnecessary deformity. (ok, maybe deformity is a bit strong, but I can't think of a milder word.)

[choosewisdom]

Sadly, she is a bit too old for any reshaping without very extreme measures.

At four months, the pediatrician is correct that different sleep positions could have corrected the flat spot, but if not correcting by 6 months a lot of doctors would have sent the child to a specialist for a helmet fitting. Too bad that didn't happen in this situation. Hopefully, she loves long hair

[emma1325]

Originally Posted by choosewisdom

Sadly, she is a bit too old for any reshaping without very extreme measures.

At four months, the pediatrician is correct that different sleep positions could have corrected the flat spot, but if not correcting by 6 months a lot of doctors would have sent the child to a specialist for a helmet fitting. Too bad that didn't happen in this situation. Hopefully, she loves long hair

Agreed! I don't even see how (if it remains as bad as it is now) she'll be able to wear it pulled back without the distortion being obvious.

[SarahElizabeth]

DS has mild FHS. I asked his GP about it, and was told that it should correct itself. I asked if there was any way I could ENSURE it would be corrected, and he said all i could do was buy a helmet for £2500. There is no financial help in the UK for the helmet, as it's seen as a "cosmetic problem", not a medical one. It does seem to be correcting itself, especially now that he has taken to sleeping on his front.

Apparently, when i was a baby, my head was "flat as a pancake!" (thanks, mam) ... I wouldn't say it's a perfectly shaped noggin now, but it's unnoticable, even with a short haircut. The only SLIGHT problem i have with it, is that my ears are slightly uneven, which means I have to very slightly alter the arms of my glasses.

[velcromom]

My ds2 developed a flat spot; I wish I'd known that early babies are especially prone to it - but the ped said that it would likely reshape to a large extent during his adolescent growth spurt. It's definitely better now at 7 than it was a few years ago.

Oh, the uneven ears thing is just normal human assymetry - I have that too!

[columbusmomma]

I think it is seen more now with the Back to Sleep campaign. There are varying degrees. With my DS he was getting a small flat spot on the side of his head(he slept on his side). My SIL who is a PT pointed it out and told me to switch positions more and use something soft for padding when he was on his side. We corrected it right away and it is completely gone, he is 7 now.

[boheime]

cranio sachral therapy can help more than a helmet.

I'm sorry this little girl was treated like that and that she now has to deal with this.

[choosewisdom]

Did you mean craniosacral therapy? I'm assuming you did, in what ways have you seen this therapy work? I have had two patients come in that have been doing this therapy with their children, and sadly, have had no results. Are there specific therapies that you have seen work? If so, please share. I am always interested in new therapies I can explore and offer to patient's families for options.

[annettemarie]

Moving to Life with a Babe.

[Beene]

Originally Posted by emma1325

I wondered back then when she was an infant why the ped didn't recommend a helmet. But now the flatness is not addressed by the parents at all...it's a non-issue. I don't think they notice it as much because they're used to it.

Are there developmental issues involved? My ex's family adopted 2 boys who were severely neglected and both autistic, among other things. Their heads were flat because they were left in their cribs all night and day.

My head is flat as a board in the back and it has nothing to do with neglect. I am Russian and many Russians have wide faces and flat heads. Thankfully, I have thick hair, but I cannot even wear one of those elastic bands on my head because it's so flat. My DH makes fun of me all the time, but I am very good-looking and smart, so it's not a cause for concern.