Conrad has torticollis, which means his neck muscles on one side are weak causing his head to always tilt to one direction. It was most likely caused by positioning in utero....big baby in a small space. Because of this, he has always slept (on his back) with his head turned to one side resulting in a flattening on the back left side of his head (plagiocephaly). The helmet is technically called a "cranial remolding orthosis" and is custom molded to redirect the growth of the head to the flattened area. He wears it 23 hours a day, just gets it off for cleaning and bath time. Treatment usually takes 3-6 months depending on how fast/slow he is growing. Without the helmet treatment, the flat spot would always be there and since he is a boy and may not have hair to help cover it, we thought it was important to fix it while we can! Of course I think he is perfect and handsome no matter what shape his head is, but am hoping he will appreciate a round head when he is older ;) He has adjusted to wearing it very well, he barely even notices its on, other than making him more warm and sweaty than usual. It has not inhibited his movement or curiosity one bit ;)
Here is a picture of his head looking down at the top. The left is before and the right is after only 2 weeks in the helmet (already seeing improvement ((and hair growth)) yay!)
Look at that handsome boy!!
If you are interested in more information about Conrad's particular helmet (or just want to see some cute babies in helmets!), check out http://www.starbandkids.com/ or for more info on plagiocephaly visit http://www.plagiosupport.org/ If you have concerns about your baby's head shape I would encourage you to ask your doctor questions and get informed as there is a very limited amount of time that it can be corrected!
