Play-jee-oh...WHAT??!!

We found out recently that Patrick officially has plagiocephaly. (Sound it out with me, folks: PLAY-JEE-OH-SEF-ULL-EE) If you look it up online, you'll see that it means his head is crooked! Well, there is a lot more to it than that! We first heard about this phenomenon at Patrick's 4 month appointment. The pediatrician (Dr. M) noticed that Baby Bear's head was misshapen and told us it was "normal," but gave us some tips and exercises to try and straighten him out. It's becoming much more commonplace for babies to have this issue, ever since the federal "Back to Sleep" campaign. Babies sleep on their backs, with their head turned a certain way. This can cause all sorts of problems down the road. (The "Back to Sleep" campaign encourages having the baby sleep on his or her back to avoid the risk of SIDS.) It usually works itself out within the baby's first year, as long as there are no other issues. However, if it doesn't seem like it's getting any better, it's best to treat at about 6-7 months of age, while their skull is still "pliable." We did our exercises, and forced tons of tummy time on Patrick. Much to our dismay, his head was still too crooked for Dr. M to be comfortable with at his 6-month appointment. (I think his head is PERFECT, but what do I know??!) His little neck muscles aren't developing like they should. It really hit home for me when I noticed that Patrick had a hard time turning and looking to his left. When we do his exercises, which involve crafty ways to MAKE him turn to the left, he SCREAMS! Poor little lamb! We have found a few new methods that are a little more quiet, and less uncomfortable for P.

Dr. M said Patrick's issue actually probably started in-utero, and he just needs a little extra help. Patrick had his first visit a few weeks ago. He referred us to Cranial Technologies. They took tons of measurements and photos. Patrick was GREAT throughout the whole appointment, even though it was a rough day for him. (We interrupted nap time for his 6 month appointment, which included SHOTS, and then forced him to go to one more appointment immediately afterwards where a bunch of people were LITERALLY examining his head. What a little champ!) Cranial Technologies and their wonderful staff reviewed the information and worked with our insurance company to get all of the details taken care of. We have chosen physical therapy and helmet therapy to treat Patrick. Patrick is getting fitted for his helmet on September 18th, and then the helmet will be ready for us to pick up and test out on October 2nd.

Wish us luck as we venture out into this unknown land with our little one! We're going to have a helmet-baby. EA and I are going to decorate it so it doesn't look so medical, but I know we'll still get LOOKS. I don't even care, I just want what's best for Baby Bear! Thanks for all of your love and support! MUCH LOVE - EA and Ashley*