We took Daniel to see a specialist Doctor in London today for the second time, and on this occasion he has been fitted with a special "helmet" which will rapidly help his condition.
Ever since a few weeks old we noticed a distinct flattening on the right hand side of the back of his head. This was mentioned on several occasions to the Health Visitor who told us repeatedly that "it would get better", or "get him to look one way when led down"
This information proved to be not only incorrect, but a waste of valuable time in treating the problem. It is obvious now from talking to so many other people that most Health Visitors and alot of Doctors are not in possesion of the facts and knowledge when it comes to this problem.
The Doctor mentioned his head after a visit for another illness and seemed concerned.
In the end it was obvious that the NHS would be offering us nothing in the way of help and we were put in touch with Dr Chris Blecher, a specialist who comes over from Germany every two weeks to a house in Kensington.
Daniel's head was measured and he was in the "severe" bracket - he's had all the symptoms, one ear bigger than the other, ear infections and the onset of excema. The problems would also affect the front of his face and jaw-line if not treated.
Although very expensive, Daniel now has his helmet fitted and we can expect to see the flattened part of his head improve over the next few weeks. He'll wear it for 23 hours a day - with one hour off at around bath time where he (and the helmet!) get a thorough cleaning. In 8 weeks we go back to Dr Blecher for a review.
Danny has taken to the helmet very well and acts as if it wasn't there. It doesn't hinder him at all and he probably had his best nights sleep in ages last night. He'll probably wear it for the next six to seven months after which a baby's head growth change is minimal so it won't be needed.
Here is a quick introduction into this problem:
While many babies are born with an abnormal head shape, which comes as a result of the birth, most newborn heads will revert to a normal shape by the time the baby is six weeks old. If an abnormal shape persists or is not noticed until after six weeks, it is important to determine what may be wrong.
Due to the malleable nature of a baby’s skull, repeated external pressure can cause a skull deformity known as positional or deformational plagiocephaly. The repeated external pressure applied to one side of the back of the head, or to the whole of the back of the head can cause flattening.
Plagiocephaly is the umbrella term for three types of positional head deformity – plagiocephaly, brachycephaly and scaphocephaly:
With plagiocephaly, the side that is flattened will often be accompanied by a prominent forehead, which when viewed from above will give the head a parallelogram shape instead of a normal symmetric oval shape. It is also common for the baby to have misaligned ears - the ear on the affected side may be pulled forward and down and be larger than the unaffected ear.
There is also sometimes asymmetry of the face, with the affected side having a fuller cheek and a more prominent appearance. Facial asymmetry can also include a jawbone that is tilted, and an eye that appears displaced and mismatched in size. Facial asymmetry is when one side of the face does not match up with the other side. Essentially, the face appears lopsided, or simply does not look right.
Problems associated with plagiocephaly
It was initially believed that plagiocephaly was only a cosmetic disorder because it does not restrict brain growth or cause brain damage. However, some sources say that plagiocephaly can cause other problems, including: Eye problems and visual disturbances and difficulties;
Inner ear problems, ear infections and hearing problems; migraine headaches;
TMJ problems - the temporormandibular joint is the joint that operates the jaw and problems include temporormandibular joint syndrome and chewing and eating difficulties.
There is the additional possibility of children suffering psychological problems due to having an abnormal head shape
Looking Forward To My 1st New Years Eve!
Well, this young man did rather well with his Christmas presents - that Santa was a busy chap! He certainly has enough clothes to last till the summer and is far better dressed than either of us!
We dressed him up as Santa on the day and he looked great. His slightly younger cousin, Ruby, was dressed as a fairy and between them they stole the show - and virtually all the presents!
He's now had the Cranio Helmet on for 19 days and it seems to have helped him already in that he's certainly much calmer and happier - the Helmet has clearly eased his pressure points and hopefully the back of his head is starting to respond.
He has developed a loud piercing squeal though, much like a girl but with the power to make his parents almost deaf!
Brilliant Progress For Daniel! 5/2/06
It was Daniel's first review today with Dr Blecher and we arrived in Kensington this morning hoping the news would be good.
His first Plagio measurement was 2.9cm (severe) - today's was 1.4cm and in the moderate band! It was fantastic news and better than both of us had hoped for - a 1.5cm improvement in 8 weeks. The helmet was re-adjusted so he has a bit more room at the front and also for the flat part at the back of the head again.
Dr Blecher was really pleased with this progress and we are so chuffed - one in the eye for the Doctor, Health Visitor and some other parents who didn't agree. He also read part of the letter the NHS sent us regarding Daniel and said it was "rubbish". Just as we suspected!
Plus Daniel has been good as gold all day despite being in a car seat for four hours! He even met his Great Uncle Tony in Swindon on the way back so he's had a busy day.
He's been a star - good news all round.
Now he's 9 months and a real personality is shining through. He finds sneezing very amusing and likes being tickled - he always likes someone to be around and does tend to cry if one of us goes into the kitchen and leaves him, even if it's just for 10 seconds.
He eats extremely well and tends to accept virtually everything that is put in front of him. He loves his yoghurt and likes nicking the end of my ice-cream!
Daniel is doing fine at nursery - he takes great intertest in what the other children are doing and loves looking in the mirror. He's started to know that when I'm dropping him off that I'm going to leave him. He will look at me a bit forlorn before I go which is quite sad for me.
He's coming along great, and this helmet has helped him so much. When I read about untreated babies and the problems they now have with eyes, ears and other parts of the face it makes me very proud to know we've done as much as we can for our boy.
Lots Of Illness As We Hit 10 months 5/3/06
It's been a bad 3 weeks as far as illnesses go. Basically Daniel gets something at nursery and then kindly passes it onto Mum and Dad! We had the projectile vomiting first and then a nasty cough that just won't shift.
Daniel has been mimicking words as you read to him and today took a small step while being held. Normally he wouldn't move like that while stood up but this was a big surprise. He still cannot crawl forwards but can go backwards, sideways and can spin round. He can get anywhere he needs too!
He's going off his formula now too but still has it last thing at night. He's going great though and were so chuffed with him.
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