When You Know.....

Due to the 'Back to Sleep' Campaign over here we have reduced SIDS by 98% but the cases of Plagiocephaly and other related conditions, including more general flat spots is on the increase.

So, when is it that you realise that that flat spot your kid had, has morphed into something a fair bit worse.

For me i think it came at about 3 months old. That OMG, this isn't getting better no matter what feeling. It was when i noticed that Caitlyns ears seemed to be different. I remember asking my husband if he'd noticed Caitlyns ears. I told him i think maybe one is bigger than the other. Maybe she was just born with a little quirk. Then, the more i stared at her sweet little head the more i realised that they were actually in different spots. And when i looked at photos of her front on and looked at her in the mirror, the right side of her face all looked a little "out of place". I felt like crying...i probably did a lot. 

Now that's not to say we hadn't been trying to correct the flatness before this. We had. tirelessly. From 5 weeks old when the Physio pointed out the Torticollis, i tried to encourage her to look the other way and we did very soft turning of her head to the left side, to help stretch out those muscles.

Then at 2 months old, our GP noticed what i had started to notice too. She was forming a flat area. She suggested the sleep positioning and trying to keep her off her head a bit more and to see what improvements were made.

So we then used a sleep positioning, we wedged, we baby wore, we slept her the opposite direction and placed toys on that side we needed her to look at. We tried and tried and tried. I became a bit paranoid when other people held her, i could feel them noticing the strange shape of her head. I felt like i had to tell them everything i was doing to try and fix it. To say, see I'm trying!!

So at about 3 months when i noticed the asymmetry, i felt like i had failed. That i had done it all wrong.

Off we went back to the Dr, where she noticed it instantly. Before i even spoke. I could see her looking over Caitlyn, looking from above, feeling the area with her hands, looking at her beautiful little face.  I told her, that's why we're here, that's what we need to discuss.

My Dr said, She's got Plagiocephaly, she will probably need to wear a helmet. I will write you a referral.

I was a bit stunned. I mean, i knew it wasn't great.... but this? I think i felt sorry for myself for all of a few minutes and then thought, ok, this is what we need to do. I need to make this better.

It was after reading more about Plagiocephaly (i read and read for hours), that i learnt that it wasn't due to a parenting failure on my part. It was this darned Torticollis. I knew that i had done everything i could, and this was the next step. We would be fine, we would be great, we would fix this the best we could. We were noticing it as early as possible and were seeking treatment.

For me, that was the hardest part. Worrying about what people thought. What people think when we go out. Thinking that i did this to her, when i didn't.

But my family know and we have their love and support. My friends know and we have their love and support too. And now you know as well. I hope you can be supportive too. xx