It's just a hat

OK, so in the end it's just a fancy, expensive hat, right? We put hats on our kids to go outside in cold weather or baseball caps on for sports (or just because they're cute). So why is it so hard for us to put this kind of hat on him? Oh yeah, because we CAN'T take it off. When I kept telling myself before this adventure started that this was going to be more traumatic for me than him, I didn't realize how much. It's REALLY hard for me to put it on him. Not just because it doesn't go on very easily or because he's not a big fan of it going on and off, but because when he has it on, I feel like it's really difficult to snuggle up to him. There is about a 1/4 inch of plastic and 1 inch of foam in between us, and it makes it hard to find a spot to nuzzle or kiss. I find that I'm already missing the smell of his hair. So I'll just keep reminding myself that when we're all through, this will have worked and progress will have been made. And in 3 months, his hair will still smell great on top of his symmetrical head.

Caleb and the "sympathy helmet"

Caleb wanted to wear a helmet, too, just like his brother!








All ready to go!

So far, so good!

I can't believe that we're already on Day 5! We accelerated the wearing schedule just a little bit to build up time faster for two main reasons: 1) Ian seems to be going through a growth spurt and we want the helmet on as much as possible to redirect the growth; and 2) he has been tolerating it so well that it was easy to do.

In general, I keep wondering why it's been so easy for him. The orthodist told us that infants usually adapt fairly quickly and it just becomes part of who they are. I didn't believe him. So, I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. For him to all of the sudden just start screaming while it's on. Or for him to start pulling and tugging at it. Or not want to sleep, or eat, or play. But none of these things are happening! He's not a big fan of it coming on or off because it doesn't open up quite wide enough on the sides for it to cleanly come over his head. So we have to kind of jimmy it on and off, but otherwise once it's on, he seems FINE with it. He just goes about his business playing and it really doesn't affect him much at all. He's even slept two nights (all night!) in it without any problems. So, I'm now going to stop holding my breath about it, give thanks to God that he's allowed Ian to adapt so well, and move on.

Ian went back to school today, and was all ready to have fun in Green Caboose with his awesome shirt on (see pic below). Can he get any cooler?

Getting used to how it feels ...

... and actually smiling! Hopefully a good sign.






And we're off and running.... since we didn't get home until so late in the day, we decided to put the helmet on only long enough to play for a couple of minutes before bed. On Thursday, we'll start a schedule of 3-4 hours per day, then Friday 6-8 hours, etc. until we build up to the full 23 hours. Ian is going to stay home from school to have time to acclimate on Thursday and Friday, even though his teachers there are so awesome that I know he'd be fine there. Ok, so seriously, how cute is he in that helmet? And the cool dude print? He totally rocks.

"Before" pictures

Here are my "before" pictures. Somehow the red hair makes everything so much cuter!

What in the world is plagiocepahly (flat head syndrome)??

Doctors are seeing more and more cases of positional plagiocephaly. Today, it affects one in 60 babies, compared with one in 300 in 1974. Parents typically notice that their baby has an oddly shaped head with a flat spot on the back or one side and that their child's facial features or ears are asymmetrical.

"While plagiocephaly is not life-threatening and doesn't affect brain development, it can lead to improper skull growth and permanently affect the symmetry of a child's face if it isn't treated properly," explains John Persing, M.D., a craniofacial surgeon at Yale–New Haven Hospital, in Connecticut.

Some infants are born with plagiocephaly because of cramped quarters or positioning in the uterus, while others develop it owing to torticollis, a tightening on one side of the neck muscles that causes a baby to favor looking in one direction over the other. Experts believe that the recent jump in cases, however, is the result of the "Back to Sleep" campaign introduced in the 1990s to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. While this program—which encourages parents to put their babies to sleep on their back rather than their stomach—has been widely credited with cutting the number of SIDS deaths by 40 percent, it's also led to an unfortunate side effect: plagiocephaly. Since an infant's skull is soft, it can easily be molded by external pressure from a firm mattress.

The great news for us is that this is completely treatable and Ian should go on to live a normal life with no problems resulting from it!

How do we fix it? Ian will wear a cranial helmet 23 hours per day for at least 3 months. We will take it off for 1 hour per day to give him a bath and give him a little of play time. The helmet does not hurt him, but it just might be uncomfortable for a little bit while he's getting used to it. It essentially works by "holding" in the parts of his head that they don't want to grow, and allowing room in the helmet to encourage growth in other parts. His helmet will have to be adjusted approximately every 2 weeks to make sure the fit is good and to account for growth, etc. After the 3 months, we'll return to Ian's neurosurgeon for an evaluation - if it appears like he's had growth and the symmetry has returned, we're done! If not, we keep going until it has (could be up to 6 months).