Just Fixin' My Flat- Gavin's Helmet Head

When Gavin was about 3 months old, I started noticing his head was really flat in the back.  I asked his pediatrician if it was something to worry about at his 4 month appointment, and he said it wasn't a big deal and he would check it out at his 6 month visit.  That answer didn't sit well with me, and something in my gut told me his flat head was actually a big deal.  After doing a lot of research, I made an appointment at Hanger Clinic with an orthotics specialist to see how bad his head was and what options we had.  My gut instinct proved to be right, because Gavin's head was bordering the severe area of brachycephaly. Brachycephaly is basically flat head syndrome.  Since most babies now lay on their back to prevent SIDS, their soft developing skulls can be easily molded flat if they lay in the same position every night.  Gavin's head was over two standard deviations outside of the normal head measurements.  Most babies with brachycephaly also have plagiocephaly, which is a flat spot on the side of the head.  Luckily, Gavin only had brachycephaly, which meant his flat spot was only located on the very back of his head.  His head measured the same in length as it did in width, so it looked like a perfect circle when looking at it from the top.  A normal head shape should be longer than it is wide, and it would look more oval-like.  We were told to come back in two months to see if anything had improved and we could go from there.

After two months of trying to reposition Gavin's head at night and even out his flat spot on our own, we returned to the orthotics specialist.  Gavin's head was not any worse, but it was not any better.  It was exactly the same. Unfortunately, our insurance doesn't cover helmets since they are considered cosmetic.  You wouldn't believe how much $,$$$ these things cost! No matter the cost, we still made the decision to get a helmet for Gavin to correct his flat spot. First, he had to get his head scanned so a custom helmet could be made that would fit his exact head shape and address the areas that he specifically needed fixed.

Next was the difficult decision of what color to make his helmet.  I had it narrowed down to dark or light blue.  It took me forever to decide, and I am sure the orthotist thought I was crazy stressing about such a simple decision.  It sounds silly, but I just wanted to make sure I got something that looked cute on Gavin.  My biggest fear is that someone will make fun or tease him, so I wanted to make sure I was picking the color that looked the best.  Evidently the dark blue ones can sometimes come out with white dots in random places, so I decided to go with the light blue.

It took about a week for his helmet to be made and ready.  When we went in for his appointment to get his helmet, I was a little nervous and excited all at once.  Nervous, because I wasn't sure how he would handle it.  What if he hated it?  What if it wasn't comfortable?  What if he gets a rash from it?  Excited, because I had been preparing myself for the helmet fitting for a while and I was anxious to see what this new accessory we would have for the next few months would look like.  The appointment took a while, because the helmet is bigger than it should be in the beginning.  The hole in the top was a little bigger than a quarter at first.  The orthotist cut and shaved down the sides and top to fit around Gavin's ears, neck, and forehead so it didn't cover his eyes.  After over an hour, it was finally done and we could take it home.

The first few days we had a certain wearing schedule to ease Gavin into the feel and idea of wearing a helmet.  The first day was 1 hour on, then one hour off.  The second day was 2 hours on, one hour off.  Third day was 4 hours on, 1 hour off, and wear for naps.  The fourth day was 8 hours on, 1 hour off, and wear for naps and bedtime.  After that, it was 23 hours on, 1 hour off.  During the one hour that he doesn't have to wear it, I have to clean it so it doesn't start smelling gross.

On his last night not having to wear it for bedtime, I snuggled extra close to him and kissed his cute little head over and over again.  Kissing his head is definitely the thing I miss the most.  I used to constantly give him little kisses on his soft little head, but now his helmet blocks me from being able to do that.  Even with the hole on the top of the helmet, it is still hard to give him a kiss.  I love when he has his "Happy Hour" or "Hour of Freedom", because I get to smother him with kisses.

So far, it has not been as bad as I though it would be. Gavin is handling his helmet fairly well.  The main thing we have had to change is his sleeping habits.  He still loves to be swaddled at night, and he will sleep all through the night when he is swaddled.  Unfortunately, we have had to cut him off cold turkey from the swaddle, because wrapping him in a blanket will cause him to overhead with the helmet on.  Since he can't be swaddled, he wakes up a lot more at night.  Hopefully he will learn how to self soothe himself back to sleep soon.  The only other issue we have had with his helmet is how sweaty it makes his head.  I guess for the first two weeks it is normal for babies to be super sweaty in the helmet since your head is what helps regulate your body temperature.  Once Gavin's body gets used to wearing the helmet, then the sweating should decrease.  Until then, I have to clean his head a lot with wipes to make sure he doesn't get too sweaty and get a heat rash.

Yesterday, the decals we ordered from BlingYourBand.com finally came in the mail.  Again, I probably stressed a little too much over which decal to put on his helmet, but we finally decided on the "YOU SHOULD SEE THE OTHER GUY" and the "WHAT R U LOOKIN AT?" decals with skull/crossbones and green/black dots.  I think it turned out really cute, and it definitely gives him a little punkish personality if anyone thinks about messing with him.

Gavin will have to wear his helmet for 23 hours a day for 3-6 months.  He will have check up appointments every 3 weeks or so to see how his head is progressing.  Until then, I get to endure a lot of stares and answer a lot of questions from random people who have no idea why he has a helmet.  Most people assume I put it on him to prevent him from bumping his head. One guy over the weekend was fascinated by it, and asked if he could get his fiance to show her.  It was kind of funny.  I actually like educating people about it, because a few years ago I had no idea what they were for either.  I just hope I don't get any mean comments or stupid people that laugh at Gavin.  I have heard of other moms who have horrible stories of people being so mean because their baby had a helmet.  It makes me so sad to think about that happening to my sweet baby.  Messing with someone's kids is the quickest way to bring the mama bear claws out, and I assure you if anyone makes fun of Gavin, I will not only make them feel like complete scum, but I will follow them to their car, slash their tires, and smear a peanut butter and jelly sandwich onto their windshield.  Hopefully it will never have to come to that though.  I personally think he is adorable in his little helmet.  I kind of want one for myself!  It could be the newest fashion trend!  Seriously though, I really hope his helmet will work and his head will be in better shape when it is all over (no pun intended).  I can only hope one day when he is older, he will kiss my little old head and thank me for fixing his flat head when he was a baby.