It comes down to this: Is an unnoticeable flat spot that is not a medical concern worth 4-5 months of helmet time and even more delayed development? We just want what's best for him and if pushing through this first week of torture is what is best we'll do it without question. We just aren't sure what's best, I'd really hate to see him not rolling over/sitting up/crawling until he's a year old. Is a perfectly round noggin worth those developmental delays? Personally, my noggin is not in the best shape...inside and out...but I seem to do okay.
Basically, we're leaning towards not using the helmet and wondering what other people would do in our shoes, please give us your thoughts?
ps. I'm a married man and therefore allowed to say such things as the following: Megan is SEXXXXY and I Loooooove smooching her!
pps. Check out Elijah's 6-mo. photos on our Shutterfly acct (link to right). He's sooo cute.
Here's a couple pics of the helmet man, he's okay at first but then gradually becomes a beast!
7 comments:
I have to say that helmet could not be any cuter!!! He is adorable! Also love the 6 month pics!! Where did you get them done?
In regards to your last post, I know how difficult these decisions can be. I know you cannot tell that much from pics, but his head does not look any more flat than Sams and a helmet has never been brought up to us. It is just the down side of the "back to sleep" recommendations. Also, when kids are premature it is really common. They are sending the kid next to Eli home and believe me, his flat head is WAY worse than Elijah's and they have not been told that he needs to have a hemlet. And he has spend the first 8 months of his life in the hospital, so you think it would be mentioned if it was a huge concern.
I know how difficult it is to be put in this kind of position and have to make a decision. It is hard for me to give you advice without knowing all the facts. But I will give it a try! I would just find out what the complication of a less round head is, other than just not being perfect, and compare it to how long it will take him to catch up after all of this. Please call us if we can be of any more assistance.
If the PT thinks it will only add a couple of months of delay and there are medical risks to having a flat spot on your head, I would go with the helmet. If it is more than a month of delay and the helmet is purely for aesthetic reasons I would ditch the helmet. When he is bigger and has a lot of hair, you will never notice. It will be a shame though- he is too cute in and and I love the stripes! Great choice!
Your 6 month pictures are great. You do have a very cute baby.
I have never seen Elijah in person. I can only give my experience with Harrison. Around 3 months old I noticed his head was beginning to look different. When you look at him from an areal view it was twisting and he had a flat spot on his right side. All feedings were done lying him on his right side to eat and then 30 minutes after to digest. He had an xray and mild plageocephly was found. We forwarded his pictures to our other son's neurosurgeon and he said it was not severe enough to need intervention.
Harrison's twisting corrected itself. His noggin still feels a little bumpy on top, but with his hair finally growing you don't see anything.
Check with Eli's PT and Pediatrician. Tell them your concerns and together ya'll can come up with a solution. I wouldn't rule out the helmet idea completely until you talk to everyone. Maybe even his cardiologist could put in his 2 since.
Harrison wears braces on his feet. Some days I just wish he didn't. They take so long to get on. Development is so important right now. He is almost 2 and not walking. I know what you are feeling. Eli's therapist has probably faced a similar situation with other babies. He or She may have some great ideas.
Good luck. Have you tried having him wear at sleep time first. Just a thought. I don't have any experience with helmets; just braces.
We will pray for God to help with the decision. He is a cutie though.
Tiffany
Hi Megan - This is Laurie's friend Teresa (from Omaha). Laurie sent me a link to your blog a while back and I've been keeping up ever since. I hope you don't think I'm a stalker or anything but I just had a little boy last October so, as you know, babies are the most interesting thing in the world once you have one. I just had to know how little Elijah's doing.
Back on topic....my son Brody was fitted for a helmet when he was 6.5 months and wore it for 3 months total. Just like you, we debated it right up to the casting. The Dr even told us he would be on the fence in our situation if it was his child. But, in the end, we decided to move forward with the helmet b/c knowing we did something is better than regretting not doing it. Right now is the perfect time for Elijah (age-wise). As far as the developmental delays, I was never told that this would be an issue, and in fact, Brody learned to sit up and crawl during his time in his helmet. And boy did the helmet help with all the falling over during those times :) I don't see how the helmet can cause any sort of delay so I wouldn't put that on your con list for the helmet. Yes, they hate it at first, but after that first hour, Brody didn't even notice it. It bothered me way more than him. You've already been through the worst of it with the helmet - the casting. It doesn't get any sadder than watching them scream while they're wrapping their head in plaster (unless you went to one of those new places where they can do it via a type of x-ray machine, then never mind that). But I can only imagine that you've seen worse with your little boy and all his surgeries and hospital visits, so I can't begin to compare.
The biggest pro (for us anyway) is that you can stop worrying about positioning and putting him on his back. With the helmet, you know there's no issue.
I haven't seen little Elijah in person so I can't say whether he 'needs' the helmet or not, but since you've made it this far, you might as well follow through. We did our best to follow the 23 hours a day, but I can tell you that the minute he woke up in the morning I took it off and the minute I got him home from day care I took it off. I'd say we averaged about 19-20 hours a day, but don't ever tell any of the other helmet advocates cause we'd be shunned. But it still worked. And in 3 months.
Ok, I could talk forever so I'll let you get back to making your own decision. If you want to talk more about the helmet issues, feel free to email me - temuren@hotmail.com.
Good luck!!
Teresa
Hi Porta Family.
Can I just tell you how incredibly adorable Eli is??? He is just an amazing little boy.
I cannot tell you anything about the helmet, as we have not ever needed one. I did have a very close friend whose son wore one for a few months as well, and he is now 14/15 months old and doing very well developmentally (he was a triplet born at 24 weeks gestation, so he has caught up remarkably well).
I feel your pain in making these decisions on him...it is hard to be able to decide what you think is best for him. I have been there on other things and can only say to follow your hearts. I will certainly keep you guys in my prayers as always.
Big Heart Hugs to you all!
Samantha
www.caringbridge.org/visit/micahmajor
P.S. Can you somehow talk to my husband and teach him how to say such wonderful things about me too??? What an amazing husband and father you are!
Hey Guys,
I'll put down a few thoughts, here.
If the helmet isn't medically necessary and only cosmetic, I think I would lean towards ditching it. I say this because everybody's head is shaped differently and who cares? There's bigger fish to fry.
Developemental stuff is important and while he is starting to catch up, it's going to be a big process for you and him, even knowing that he will start to do some leaps on his own when he gets around other kids more.
There is another option for his head. Have you ever had John Ward look at him? Leo has been having chiropractic adjustments since he was 3 days old, including the plates in the skull. They are very gentle, nothing like adult ones, but they help to shape the bones in his head as they begin to harden and also ease any spinal pressure from falling as Leo learns to crawl/walk. John has a great clinic open in Lake Elmo (outer space for you guys) but it is on the way to the DZ. His number is 952-239-0050 or specificjohn@yahoo.com
Email or call me if you want to chat.
Love & hugs,
Ellen
First of all...Eli's pictures are the Cutest!!! I'm So jealous! We haven't had a full family picture made yet!!! Second, Dan...please talk to all of our husbands...we need to hear how beautiful we are on a daily basis! (Megan, give Dan extra attention for all the sweet things he says about you!) And, I really don't know what to tell you about the helmet. I see both of your points. You guys have done everything perfectly so far with Eli...I'm sure that whatever you decide will be the best choice!
You guys are great!
I hope you enjoyed going back to work Megan (did you baby talk all day??)
Kathy
Megan and Dan,
I must confess that I have been a "lurker" on your blog for quite some time. We found out about your family through Sophia. Our son, Wilson, was born in December 2006 with Tetralogy of Fallot. His repair was done on 11 June 2007, so we were watching your site closely as Elijah underwent his surgery in May.
I saw your post today and talked to my husband Mitch about your dilemma. We decided that if we were in your shoes, we would use the helmet. Kids are so resilient. If Elijah does have some delays in his motor skills development from wearing the helmet, I bet he will catch up in no time. You will only have one chance to re-shape his head, and this is it. Yes, a not-so-round head will eventually be covered with hair, but Mitch is only 32 and he has already lost most of his hair! He keeps his hair about 1/8" long. If his head were not-so-round, it would be very evident.
Kids develop at vastly different rates, and I try not to get too caught up in milestones and percentages and comparisons. Even if Elijah is behind in some things, I know he must be ahead in others. He will get where he needs to be, and 3-4 months may seem like an eternity, but in the big scheme of things it isn't.
Good luck in your decision. Feel free to "lurk" at our site too, or email amy@maifeld.name.
Amy
http://wilson.maifeld.name
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