Lately, I find myself wondering why no one told me how the Back to Sleep Campaign, trendy new baby toys, and cradling my baby could cause her to develop plagiocephaly and torticollis...I thought all these were good things. No, I am not encouraging babies to sleep on their tummies, but I had no idea that there were negative consequences to having my daughter sleep on her back. After buying the swing, the bouncer, the saucer, and many other fun baby items, I have been told the best position for baby's playtime is ON THE FLOOR! Wow, I could have saved a lot of money! If you are confused, tune in! Apparently there has been a significant increase in the incidence of plagiocephaly (basically misshapen head syndrome) and torticollis (literally means "twisted neck"). Many times babies are born with a slightly misshapen head due to cramped quarters in the uterus, or a small birth canal mixed with a large head. Often times, if parents aren't overly conscientious, the baby takes the path of least resistance and exacerbates the problem by turning the head to accommodate the issue. Some babies are simply on their backs so much that their head becomes flat. Raylee's problem started because she had a tight neck, and would tend to always roll to the same side. This caused one side of her head to become flatter, and the cycle continued. This caused her to have some slight facial asymmetry, which really frightened me. After being told we were a candidate for the DOC band (a helmet which runs about $3600!), we then sought a second opinion. The physical therapist said that she had a very minor case, and everyone has some sort of asymmetry. She recommended we take an aggressive approach to repositioning and stretching for 6 weeks. Therefore, we have discarded any toy that causes her to put pressure on the back of her head. We have to hold her upright or with the football hold, and she has to have tons of "tummy time." We also have to do a series of neck stretches 4-5 times a day. Whew! All of this is a much better alternative to the helmet, but it is a little exhausting policing how everyone holds and positions her.
If you want more information, read this article! http://www.mybreastfeeding.com/index_files/Torticollis.htm
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2 years ago
2 comments:
we started to notice reid's head gettting flat around tw months....we did our own at home therapy and it was completey healed by 5 months!!....
i think i might have recommend this to you earlier...
it's the head support by boppy!
we used it in the toys that put pressure on the back of the head as well as on the floor anytime he was laying on his back, and in the stroller at all times...we often used it in the crib when he was swaddled and knew he wasn't going to roll anywhere. i believe it was a HUGE contributing factor to how fast his head changed!
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/k4114/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C12%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cbopyy&cm%5Fsrc=SCH
*i think bru sells one too- it's black
another tip: when putting her to sleep...make sure her head it tilted to one side....and the next time she goes down, put it to the other side...i had to keep track of this because i kept forgetting...
Good Luck- she is healthy and beautiful and this is just one of those many things that we new moms have to deal with in the first year! i'll say a prayer that it will continue to heal on its own!
the link didn't work: but it's called, 'boppy head support'
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