IF YOUR BABY HAS A MISSHAPEN HEAD READ THIS!! My daughter has....

[momma_shuler]

PLAGIOCEPHALY. I was doing some research last night, and I finally figured out EVERYTHING that is wrong with my daughter. She has severe plagiocephaly. Plagiocephaly is a misshapen head that can be caused by many things but in Scarletts case it was because she was stuck in my hip the last 2 months of my pregnancy. For those of you who don't know, I have a beautiful 14 month old daughter who has been struggling with her health for A LONG time. I've been begging for answers on here, speaking with every extended friend or family member I know that has any experience in human anatomy or illnesses, and getting frustrated with her pediatrician for ignoring my concerns. Scarlett was a healthy 6 lbs 15 oz at birth- full term. On her first birthday......she weighed 14 lbs. FOURTEEN FLIPPIN POUNDS!! Even at 14 lbs her pediatrician assured me she was healthy. But get this-

He knew she was stuck in my hip during pregnancy, she couldn't breastfeed because she could only latch to my left breast and not well, she needed physical therapy at 2-3 months because she would only turn her head one way, you can visibly see her mishappen head- one eye appears smaller than the other and one of her ears sticks out further than the other, he knew she was not eating well...even when she's hungry she puts something in her mouth sucks on it-and spits it out (she cant chew well), she's had FOUR ear infections in the last 8 months, she's never taken more than a 5 oz bottle at a time..... And for the last 11 months of her life she has been gaining less and less weight- on average 4-8 oz a month. Let's see am I missing any other obvious signs that point to this condition?? Probably...

ANYWHO, with ALL of this information her IGNORANT ASS of a pediatrician has reassured me repeatedly that she's healthy...just "petite". ARE YOU KIDDING ME? She was wearing 6 month clothing on her first birthday!!! I AM SO FURIOUS! I don't even know what to do I'm so mad. I don't want to even look at her pediatricians face anymore but it would be OH so sweet to make an appt JUST to tell him thanks for nothing and now that my child is 14 months old there is little that can be done to correct it. She should have been wearing a helmet 8 months ago!! Now I have a baby with chronic ear infections, a jacked up jaw that makes it painful and difficult to eat, which is leading her to be severely malnurished.

I'm ranting and also trying to spread the word. Plagiocephaly is VERY COMMON. If your baby has a flat spot on one side of the back of their head THEY HAVE IT. It can be caused from being awkwardly placed in your womb, by sleeping in the the same position repeatedly, or looking out of the same window every time they are in their car seat. Here's the test, sit your baby in your lap and look down at the top of their head. If the back of their head is round, you're golden. If it's flat on one side and sticking out on the other, TAKE THEM TO EITHER A CHIROPRACTER (craniosacral specialist) OR A PLASTIC SERGEON (someone who will fit a helmet to their head). I PERSONALLY love chiropractics. It's way less invasive, way less expensive, very affective, and you're baby won't be wearing a stupid helmet for 6+ months. At the very least PLEASE mention it to your pediatrician and if they pull the damn "it should go away by 6 months (or when they learn to crawl)" crap, CALL THEIR BLUFF. If your baby's head isn't perfectly semetrical by the time they're 6 months old, and they hardly ever lay on it  then tell your pediatrician you want something done about it IMMEDIATELY! PLEASE contact me if you have any questions about your baby's head!!!

 

[ChicaThis]

Dec. 15, 2010 at 11:03 PM

My son had that condition and his pediatrician had me doing exercises with him to see if it would help because his condition was caused by him laying on one side too much.  By the time he was about 6 months, the pediatrician said we had the option to get him a helmet but it was up to us. We opted for the helmet as the pediatrician did recommend it because of future possible needs with glasses, protective helmet to play sports and so on and so forth.  Oh, and also for jaw problems.  My son had a flat spot on the back of his head and also it was bigger on one side of his forehead.  If you looked at his head from the top you could also see that his ears were misalligned. He had his helmet for around 6 or 7 months and at the end of the therapy we were going every week to get it fitted.  Now you can barely tell that his head ever had the problems.

I'm sorry that your daughter was not treated like she should of been.  You should sue your pediatrician.  As for other parents who ask questions and don't feel that you are getting the right answers, get a second opinion.

[x_Starr_x]

Dec. 16, 2010 at 8:31 PM im glad you osted this my son is 9 mo old and he has one side in the back thats flat and its always bothered me

[Lb128f]

Dec. 17, 2010 at 2:46 AM

Thanks for sharing this information!