8 week old with uneven head at the top, tips?
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Anonymous
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At 1 month old we noticed from the front the top of the head was uneven like slanted on a slope and pediatrician said to watch it but she was one of the many doctors at the practice so she seemed kind of dismissive. The head is the same almost more pronounced but it seems like half the head is higher than the other half it’s not a true flat spot at the back of the head. I’m going down the google hole and am anxious af. Will call to schedule another doctor meeting but what can we do? What kind of exercises to PTs do with this type of side head flat heat. Could it be something worse like brain isn’t “formed” and full there? We left the dc area and I don’t know how to fix this I’m a mess it’s so visible and obvious.
Baby did favor the left hand side for sleeping and nursing and that’s the higher side I guess it got pushed up? I’d welcome any feedback or tips from people who have had this experience while I’m waiting to see specialists. |
Anonymous
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Yes, see a specialist. Could be torticolis which our pediatrician never suggested but our nanny did. Do not let your baby favor one side. Continue to reposition him including switching sides on the changing table. Tummy time, tummy time, tummy time!
Oldest DC with torticolis ended up wearing a helmet for six months. |
Anonymous
OP here thank you for responding did the helmet fix the issue? What age was she when it was diagnosed? We see pediatrician in 3 days then see the referral so that’s why I’m trying to just not let a day go by without trying to fix it |
Anonymous
Yes, the helmet helped enormously but he, 8, still has a slight bump. Our mistake was waiting until he was six months. |
Anonymous
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Get an evaluation for torticollis and plagiocephaly. It could be one, the other, or both. They very often go hand-in-hand. The good news is in the vast majority of cases, early intervention fixes things rapidly.
For torticollis it would be physical therapy to strengthen the weak muscles and widen the range of motion; for plagiocephaly it would mean lots of attention to positioning and possibly early helmeting before the plates of the skull fuse (around age 1). Some doctors are very blasé when it comes to head shape, and there is research that points to many cases where slightly misshapen heads do round out on their own. However, this isn’t the case for all, and there could be issues beyond appearance. With Plagiocephaly, there are sometimes rare, serious underlining issues associated with misshapen skulls. Of course, getting assessed earlier than later is key. And with torticollis, it really doesn’t get better without PT, and ignoring the issue can lead to restricted range of motion, muscle tightness, uneven limb use, and appearance issues like asymmetrical eyes/ears. With either issue, and between now and when you can have an evaluation and potentially get a referral, you will want to: 1. minimize how often your baby is placed on his back to avoid extra pressure on the skull, which can impact skull shape 2. minimize time in containers in general (cribs, swings, car seats etc) 3. maximize tummy time even if he hates it to strengthen core and neck muscles and relieve pressures on skull from prolonged prone placement 4. if the baby seems to favor facing one direction or looking in only one direction, place them down to sleep in the opposite way to promote more evenness, dangle toys just within their line of vision on the unfavored side to get them practicing looking that way etc. I know this all can seem very scary, but both of these issues are surprisingly quite common and getting evaluations now when your baby is so young is going to be key to addressing whatever the issue is while you have the short window to do so before skull plates fuse. Good on you for raising the issue and getting another opinion! Good luck. |
Anonymous
| OP here thank you all he doesn’t have discomfort so don’t think Torticollis just uneven head I feel like we messed up being parents already we didn’t notice he’s been only on one side preferred for a month and now it’s so uneven and doesn’t seem fixable plus who wants to deal with a helmet sucks |
Anonymous
NP but if it makes you feel better, OP, my DD had a very pronounced flat spot at the back/side of her head due to torticollis (but she did not have the corresponding bump out in the front) and after months of listening to everyone who told us to wait it out, we put her in a helmet from 11-18 months, which is very much on the late side, but she now has a perfectly round head. We went with Cranial Tech in Annandale and they were great. |
Anonymous
He wouldn't have any discomfort from torticollis, he'd just favor looking one way. Be mindful of that, always place him on the other side, and get an appointment with early intervention to get him some physical therapy. They'll teach you the appropriate stretches. |
Anonymous
Also you sound super lazy. |
Anonymous
| My DC had craniosynostosis. We noticed the uneven head shape and worked with specialists at Children's. Research and look at photos. If you think craniosynostosis it's best to seek treatment early because they can do an endoscopic procedure, but it needs to be done around 12 weeks. I hope it's not craniosynostosis, but it can be successfully treated if it is. Best wishes! |
Anonymous
Torticollis doesn’t cause discomfort, OP. The neurologist will hold him up by his feet and you’ll see it the wry neck. You just do exercises. And the helmet isn’t that bad. My DD got used to it after the first day and you don’t have to worry about head bumps! |
Anonymous
| OP here thank you everyone for the words of advice and experiences and even the criticism. I’ll work hard to fix this and will push for earlier visit with doc and specialist |
Anonymous
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Another perspective on helmets to correct flat spots:
Our pediatrician recommended against the helmets because she felt there was not a lot of evidence they did anything, and can be hard to wear, get sweaty, etc. We opted to reposition a bunch and by a year, his head was round. (And that was starting from an original flat spot that was so pronouncedly flat that the pediatrician sent us for a brain ultrasound because she was worried part of his brain might be missing.) OP, please disregard the people calling you lazy, they have never been in your shoes and don't know how hard you are working to care for your kid and get an important issue evaluated while being extremely sleep deprived first time parents and being brushed off by your first pediatrician. |
Anonymous
| OP here with a not so positive update, we saw our regular pediatrician today and he referred us to a neurosurgeon for possible craniosynostosis im devasted and waiting for our referral appointment I now wish it was all this plagio and Torticollis just so it’s not this worst case scenario that will need skill surgery. Just a shitty day becoming shittier, be thankful for your healthy children. |
Anonymous
OP, deep breaths. Whatever you are dealing with, you're doing the right thing by investigating it. My kid also had craniosynostosis, fixed by surgery at 7 months. Yes, it was stressful to have a baby go through that kind of surgery, but years later, he is totally and completely fine. We joke that his bionic head gave him extra protection when he had a few playground mishaps in the early years. |