We're a bit of a hot mess these days. My thrush isn't gone, so now I'm on Di.flucan. Sam suddenly had terrible diarrhea a few days ago. She's also been super fussy the last two weeks, and cries when we feed her. She pushes the bottle out, then cries because she's hungry. I've tried cutting out dairy, and even using the super sensitive formulas. She only manages to eat an ounce or two every few hours, then she gets lethargic.
Pediatrician is somewhat concerned about her low weight gain. She gained 1lb in 5 weeks. Ugh. We have our 2 month appt next friday, and I have a LOT of questions for the pedi.
My big one is : I think she has flat head syndrome. She spends most of the day in her swing, or bouncy chair, or laying on her boppy...then on her back sleeping up to 8 hours at night. So yeah, she spends a lot of her time on her back. I've noticed the last month that her head is odd shaped. It's getting quite flat in the back, and pushed up...where it looks like the back of her head is much higher than the front. On top of that, the back half of her head is much wider than the front half.
Has anyone else dealt with this? I feel terrible that I havent forced her to spend more time on her tummy. She hates it though! She maybe spends 15 minutes a day on her belly. The only way I can keep her off her back (with minimal crying) is if I carry her all day in the bjorn thingy. But that means I can barely do much while I wear her all day...doesnt seem practical.
The only company I could find that specializes in those helmets (which she'd have to wear 23 hours a day for 3-6 months!!!)...is in freaking SoCal. And they need weekly adjustments. How the eff would we get to SoCal each week for an appointment. Ugh. That's an 8 hour drive (if we're traveling with an infant).
Her head is really getting worse, and I dont trust that it will magically correct itself. God I suck tho...i should have just held her all day instead of putting her in her bouncy chair. :(
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Flat Head Syndrome?
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11 comments:
Don't freak out yet. It took me almost two months to realize my little guy slumped to the left and that it was starting to change the shape of his head. The doc just had me use one of those neck supporters you can get anywhere to keep his head straight and it totally corrected itself. Maybe try to keep repositioning her throughout the day and letting her nap on you (on her belly) while you take a well-deserved rest and watch some tv/videos. I never used one of those side-sleep-positioner things, maybe that could help? Sorry, just a bunch of ass-vice, but baby heads can change shape without too drastic of measures. Hang in there.
I agree, don't worry to much. At each of her ped appts, the doc should check her head and if there are issues, s/he will let you know. Also, I believe if it is necessary, the ped will supply you with a helmet. Just voice your concerns and see what she says.
hi,
also......they have those inserts that have a hole in the back and go into car seats, bouncy chairs, swings , baby rests head on it but it takes the pressure off their head with the hole. i rubbed my boys' heads incessantly and shaped it that way, but i spent hours a day holding my boys (by choice) altho didnt always get much done. i was able to reshape my oldest son's head this way. my youngest got the special treatment from day one...does not mean she may not need a helmet tho..ped should be on that one!
Yeah... don't count on your ped to suggest a helmet. They most likely won't. I'm married to one and it took a lot of effort on my part to get a referral to a specialist for Mr. B's noggin. Lots and lots of babies get flat heads and they round out just fine. It's when the head is skewed a bit or when it's not within the normal range. Plus, is there any Torticollis? Does the baby favor looking in one direction all the time? I suggest major efforts in repositioning techniques - http://www.plagiocephalyflathead.com has some good info (never used their pillow though) and feel free to email me if you want some more info. Mr. B wore his helmet for about 4 months, only went in once a month for adjustments (not once a week).
And here's what we did for our Mr. B:
http://findingchaos.com/2008/08/13/how-were-making-a-round-noggin/
Hey there!
I'm sorry it's a little stressful/worrisome for you guys! My best advice (outside of talking to your pedi) is to contact your local Early Intervention/Infants and Toddlers Program. (Try to Google the name of your town/county + early intervention and a ton of resources with one central point of entry for you to contact).
I used to work for a large children's hospital and now work in early intervention, and I see what you're describing all the time. You should be able to get a lot of free or low-cost help from your local program (since most are provided at no-cost to families) and the best part is, they will/should come to YOU! I hope this is helpful!!
Try not to worry too much! Hopefully you will be able to sneak some extra tummy time in for Sam without her noticing. Feel free to email me if you want any more suggestions or more specific advice!! Good luck!! :)
Same thing with my babies. About the same age. My doctor had me prop them in stuff to round it out.
I also used those wedges when they slept, kind of put them on their side...to help. It did and they have great heads now.
Good luck ! Hopefully it won't come to the helmet :)
Do not freak out! Here in Germany you would get get physiotherapy. It will help her build up more muscles which actually helps the shape of the head. The little ones HATE the therapie, even though they mostly just lay there, but it sure is successful. You can let her sleep on her belly during the day (even at night if you feel comfortable) which would help the head as well. As long as the head heasnt closed it can still find its original shape again.
Sorry my english sucks! Check out physiotherapy for her is basically what I wanted to tell you!
i agree, i see that a lot at daycare, and it ends up correcting itself in the end.
You may want to try a different type of carrier around the house. Anara was in a moby wrap which held her closer to my body than a bjorn does. That way I could wear her and keep her off of her back while I did things like laundry, dishes, vacuuming. Really most anything other than cooking at the stove. Gave us great bonding time too. Good luck!
We thought Maddie had the same thing and felt guilty too that we weren't getting her enough tummy time. She HATED it too! We found that if we put her in her Pack N Play for tummy time, she'd eventually fall asleep and get several hours of napping during the day on her tummy, which was great to get time off the back of her head. We never let her sleep on her tummy at night but felt comfortable doing it during her daytime naps. While her head never got perfectly round the pedi said it was so minimal that it was not a concern and by the time her hair was longer you'd never notice. And we don't!
Someone said to use the moby wrap and that is a good idea. The baby bjorn is not good for babies. It gives them postural deformity. The way the baby is in a bjorn is not good for its back. The legs hang down. Watch for someone who uses a wrap or the baby ergo. The legs are bent, they dont hang. It's better for the babys spinal column. I dont even know why they still sell those baby bjorns and stuff like that. Also if you use a wrap you will feel SO MUCH different than with a carrier like the bjorn. The baby is so close and cant wobble around, you will have your hands free for other things.
I want to become a birth doula and am planning on giving baby wearing classes as well. It's quite interesting what differences are out there in carriers and how much some can harm the baby. If you have any questions feel free to write me. (koejes@web.de)
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