Hoping everyone had a Thanksgiving filled with Thanksgiving! I was filled with gratitude to reconnect with two very special families on Wednesday. For both babies that came in, I had the honor of working with each of their first babies several years ago. To their chagrin, they started noticing the same symptoms of their first child, a preference for turning it’s head in one direction and some flattening of the baby’s head. Oh no, my 2nd baby has a flat head!
Both of these families are examples of highly devoted parents who have full knowledge and are fully able to implement the vast majority of head shape supportive routines with their baby and yet their baby still needs a little extra help from a professional or the aid of a baby helmet/ cranial band. Torticollis, plagiocephaly, & brachycephaly are serious head and neck conditions that not only affect early development but if goes untreated will impair your child later in life.
Don’t feel guilty if you baby has this condition. It’s not your fault, sometimes it’s a matter of knowing not what to do and sometimes it’s a matter of doing everything correctly. Our Wednesday families did everything right but their babies simply needed a little extra help. RARELY, IF EVER, is it a case of a parent that did not have their baby’s best interest at heart!
So for the two families that came in on Wednesday and all the others in similar situations: I love you and your baby! While I am thrilled to have that warm reconnection with you, I wish if were under different circumstances. I hope it helps to know that without all your efforts, your baby’s head may have been much more severe and I am happy to have given you the tools initially.
A final note and plea: The next blog entry will focus on little known information about SIDs and risk factors. Here is a preview. Lately we’ve had an alarming number of well-meaning parents placing their infant on their tummy to nap . . . . and then on their back at night. Please know 2 crucial factors. One, SIDS is NOT suffocation. Two, there is an 18 fold increase in SIDs for babies who are slept on their tummies during the day and placed on their backs to sleep at night . . . 18 fold more risky. Click here for PDF download.
