Answer: This little man in a helmet.
OK... let me explain.
A few months ago(at his 6 month check-up) our doctor mentioned that she was concerned about Ezra's head. His head was measuring pretty large and was actually off the growth charts. But what she was most concerned about was that he had a significant flat spot at the back of his head and his face was asymmetrical. We had never really put much thought into whether or not his face was symmetrical but after she mentioned it, we could clearly see what she was talking about. We have always known that his head was big(but assumed it was on the account of his exceptionally developed and brilliant brain) but the symmetry part we had just never paid any notice to. Our doctor pointed out that one of his ears is was much further forward than the other and part of his forehead was higher than the other. She was right, but none of this had ever really ever stuck out to us as unusual and we never would have guessed it was a problem.
Our doctor requested that we have him checked by a couple of different specialists to determine if any of this was really a reason to be concerned.
To make a long story a bit shorter, we have seen a couple of specialists now and our beautiful big headed baby has been diagnosed with Positional Plagiocephaly. DON"T PANIC! This is not nearly as horrifically scary as it sounds, I promise. It's really is just a big ol' fancy smart-T-pants doctor word for a flat spot on his head. As far as we can tell this flat spot has occured because of a combination of several factors... the fact that he sleeps on his back, the fact that his head is large(the WONDERFUL news here is that it has been determined by our specialists that his superior head size is not actually a concern at all, but really just a sign of extreme super-human intelligence.... well... OK.....I am making up the extreme intelligence part... it is just on the big side and not because of anything being wrong with his brain.), and the fact that he has a muscle on one side of his neck that is a little shorter/tighter than the muscle on the opposite side(a torticollis) that has caused him to favor turning his head to one side. All this adds up to Ezra having a fairly large flat area on the back of his head. The flat spot is actually not what the problem is, the problem is that because of the flat spot, his face has shifted a bit and has become asymmetrical. Our craniofacial specialist is quite concerned that if left alone this asymmetry will end up causing some long term problems including chronic pain from his jaw being out of alignment and vision issues.
All that brings us back to the question at hand...
What could possibly be cuter than Ezra?
The answer again: Ezra in a Cranial Orthosis- yet another fancy pants word for- A HELMET. A very special, custom made helmet that will help to reshape Ezra's head and hopefully correct most of the asymmetry and therefore save him from pain later in life. He will be fitted for the helmet next week and be wearing it full time(23 hours a day) by the end of April. We expect that he will need to wear it for 4-7 months depending on how quickly things go back into place.
Getting used to the idea of having a baby in a helmet has been a bit of a process. It has provoked quite the broad spectrum of emotions.... everything from sadness and disappointment to embarrassment and frustration. I would be lying if I didn't admit that we are a bit overwhelmed with the whole situation. It may take a little time to get entirely used to the whole thing. Regardless, we feel confident that getting the helmet is the right decision for Ezra and we will be glad we did it in the long run. Overall we really just feel very, very grateful that this is something correctable and will be taken care of within a year. Thankfully, out of all the health issues that are out there(especially ones involving the head and brain), this is a very mild one.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for updates and pictures of our handsome little man in his super cool hemet.
7 comments:
I'm sorry to hear that he'll have to wear a helmet. But, as you said, he's incredibly cute and will only be cuter with a helmet :) (especially a customized helmet with a skull and crossbones or flames on the side)
I was surprised at how cute the helmets are!! You know what they say about babies who are learning to stand and walk needing to wear helmets all the time, well you can just pretend that's what you're doing with Ezra! He's going to rock that helmet and 4-7 months will pass like a blink of your eye.
Just keep him away from Ethan's skateboard, ok?
have you looked into craniosacral therapy for him? totall\y gentle and safe form of bodywork that slowly realigns the bones in the head. has been known to also cure ovr 90% of ear infections in children without the need for antibiotics!
well i just looked at the pic of the helmut online. it's actually cute! like actually a tad stylish i'd even say. maybe even venture to wonder if some or many might think perhaps it is a cool safety fad or something? maybe not... but it sure helped that the babies were grinning and playing in the picture. let's hope all the dr's thoughts on the 2 week screaming adjustment is innacurate. love you porter. ask us all for help when things get weird. kids! :)
Well, I have to say that I think the helmets on babies are quite cute. My little sister wore one and the time goes by so fast. Now I look back at pictures and think how cute she was in her little helmet!
So glad to hear it's nothing serious, but also feel for you having to go through the whole helmet ordeal. He will indeed be adorable in that helmet.
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