Odd head shape question.

bglovesbabyk

First of all, I , like most moms think my child is perfect. But...DH and my mom think his head bulges on his left side. So today I asked the ped about it. He agreed that there is a slight bulge. He said that it is from favoring his left side when laying and sitting.
So this is where I am confused. If he is laying more on that side wouldn't it be flatter? He specifically said to try and lay him more on his right side to try and fix it. He said if it doesnt work he may need a helmet. :-(
Maybe I'm slow but this doesn't make sense to me. I'm thinking about getting a second opinion, but wanted to see if anyone else here has a similar issue, and what their doc said.
And for your viewing enjoyment, here is my funky little coconut head!

mwhipple77

No experience with this, but from the pics, I'd say he's pretty perfect!  He's a damn cute little guy!  

Jennybabe0706

I'm so happy you posted this... Not because I want your baby to go through this but bc we are currently dealing with the same thing and I am so stressed! Our daughter favors her right side and has a bulge on that side, but the back of her head on the right is flat. So they have us going to physical therapy to corrext it twice a week to avoid the helmet. Poor thing is so over stimulated from pt and the exercises they have us doing at home to loosen her right neck muscle (which is part of the problem) that she is incredibly crabby! Did they mention pt to you at all or do they think it's a quick fix w repositioning?

elroda

What?! I see no bulge, just a beautiful little baby!! No joke you and your fam look like you'd be in the Boba wrap ad I just saw on Facebook! All cutesie together! :x

Jennybabe0706

@brittannie19 I have been feeling the same way. They are having us avoid swings, bouncy seats, etc during the day, having her do all kinds of stretching exercises and tummy time activities and going to PT twice a week.  I worry that this is a way for them to make money and have actually been talking to my husband about possibly going to get second opinion somewhere bc I am so stressed! 

Kim22

My DD did 5 months of PT for her neck because of this and the therapist said the flat spot would resolve on its own and it did. I noticed the spot at 6 weeks with her and had her in PT by 2 months. My nephew had the same thing but they waited 6 months and he needed PT and the helmet so just stay on top of it.

bglovesbabyk

Thank you so much everyone for your input and advice. He said to try the repositioning for 6-8 weeks. If it doesn't improve they would do X-rays and go from there. That seems like a long time to wait and see if it gets better. I know it's not severe, but I don't want it to go too far without being addressed. His advice really doesnt make sense to me! I'm probably going to get a second opinion.

[Deleted User]

Our DD had a very flat head, see attached pics- she had a larger than normal soft spot and her bones were not growing as they should.  She did not need surgery, but did need a helmet.  I agree with PP that helmets may not be needed in some cases, but I am very pro-helmet for severe plagiocephaly.  Even with her helmet for 5 months DD's head is still a little square.  It's still a million times better than it was, but I am positive it would not have corrected nearly as well on it's own. 

OP- I think your LO's head is beautiful and I can't tell any asymmetries.  However, if the ped suggests it- I would at least meet with the neuro because in our case DD's optic nerve was being affected.  Also, as it was explained to us- if LO lays on the back side of the head the front of that side can bulge out or even the forehead.

And here are some pics of a seriously flat but perfect and wonderfully loved head

The first pic is looking down on her- you could place your hand flat across the back of her head (the black and white ring is at the front of her head)

The second is showing how both sides bulged out above her ears

The third is her in the helmet.

Mum2Be28

I think his head looks perfect! I don't see a difference in the pics.

We haven't had this problem so far, but at every pedi appointment (I guess he forgets he's already told me this) the doctor reminds me to turn little ones head if he tends to always prefer one side to avoid a flat spot. He said a lot of times when babies are in the crib they like to face out, so if you turn their head and they turn it back, then just flip the direction that their body lays and then their head will turn to face out the other way. 

bglovesbabyk

From the front it's not that noticeable. It's more toward the top left and back. I know it's not bad yet, but I don't want it to get worse. But again the advice of laying him on his right side to flatten out the left still doesn't make sense to me. I'm working on getting some info from another doctor.

bglovesbabyk

Oh my gosh! She is so cute!

crwjcc1 said:

Our DD had a very flat head, see attached pics- she had a larger than normal soft spot and her bones were not growing as they should.  She did not need surgery, but did need a helmet.  I agree with PP that helmets may not be needed in some cases, but I am very pro-helmet for severe plagiocephaly.  Even with her helmet for 5 months DD's head is still a little square.  It's still a million times better than it was, but I am positive it would not have corrected nearly as well on it's own. 

OP- I think your LO's head is beautiful and I can't tell any asymmetries.  However, if the ped suggests it- I would at least meet with the neuro because in our case DD's optic nerve was being affected.  Also, as it was explained to us- if LO lays on the back side of the head the front of that side can bulge out or even the forehead.

And here are some pics of a seriously flat but perfect and wonderfully loved head

The first pic is looking down on her- you could place your hand flat across the back of her head (the black and white ring is at the front of her head)

The second is showing how both sides bulged out above her ears

The third is her in the helmet.

ReggieLou13

Jennybabe0706 said:

I'm so happy you posted this... Not because I want your baby to go through this but bc we are currently dealing with the same thing and I am so stressed! Our daughter favors her right side and has a bulge on that side, but the back of her head on the right is flat. So they have us going to physical therapy to corrext it twice a week to avoid the helmet. Poor thing is so over stimulated from pt and the exercises they have us doing at home to loosen her right neck muscle (which is part of the problem) that she is incredibly crabby! Did they mention pt to you at all or do they think it's a quick fix w repositioning?

Did your pedi mention torticollis? We have our first PT appt on Monday. They said the same thing as you, tight neck muscels that is Resulting in a flat spot on the back of her head.

** lurker from Dec 13. She was born Nov 21 but was due dec 10th

bglovesbabyk

Did your pedi mention torticollis? We have our first PT appt on Monday. They said the same thing as you, tight neck muscels that is Resulting in a flat spot on the back of her head.

** lurker from Dec 13. She was born Nov 21 but was due dec 10th

Our babies have the same bday! Sorry, I always think that's cool. One of my friends mentioned this on FB. I am kinda worried my LO may mildly have this. Do you know what causes it?

jegoehle

I don't have advice, but just want to comment on how stinkin cute your photos are!!!

ReggieLou13

bglovesbabyk said:

Did your pedi mention torticollis? We have our first PT appt on Monday. They said the same thing as you, tight neck muscels that is Resulting in a flat spot on the back of her head.

** lurker from Dec 13. She was born Nov 21 but was due dec 10th

Our babies have the same bday! Sorry, I always think that's cool. One of my friends mentioned this on FB. I am kinda worried my LO may mildly have this. Do you know what causes it?

Ahh thats so neat!!
Im not positive, but I read it could be the position they were in in the womb or how they were delivered. My LO was breach so that may have played a factor.

katmac17

We had to do a helmet with DS, too.  He favored one side (can't remember which), but mostly he just had a really flat head, which made his forehead look quite broad.  Plagiocephaly is when the flat spot is on one side, causing the front on that side to bulge.  Brachicephaly is when the whole head is flat, which is what DS had.  He has a really big head at baseline, so having a really big head that was also really flat made his head REALLY wide.  We did the helmet (I had previously said they were way overused; they probably still are), but we are also really glad we did it, as I definitely think it helped his head. 

For those considering a helmet, it's ideal to start it when they are 4-6 months old (DS was almost 6 mos; I wish we had started earlier to capture more head growth).  We paid $1500 out of pocket, so they aren't cheap.  

Nhull22

My son has this also. I just ordered this, hopefully it works.

cagoldi

DS has torticollis and a flat spot. We're in PT once a week at this point and he will need a helmet if it hasn't improved by his 4 month check-up.

At this point you should find out about his neck. Our PT said DS has a moderate case but the sooner they treat the torticollis, the better. She also stated that if it goes untreated for a long period of time he could develop scoliosis.

In addition to his exercises and stretching, the PT had us start using a Tortle as a positioning aid. It's like a beanie with a bump that goes behind their ear to keep them from lying on the flat spot.

sla626

His head looks nice and round to me, I think maybe his hair line throws it off. He is gorgeous!

Littlemama01

I think the reason you lay them on the opposite side is to give the affected side time to even out. Even though it looks not flat on the left (which it doesn't look flat in the pics), maybe the bulge is from LO favouring the left side which sort of pushes the bulge out more. I am only speculating, though.

Mum2Be28

***Runs to examine son's head more carefully***

Preppytraveler

@bglovesbabyk first off let me say...so adorable! My little guy has the same issue, I had a hard time seeing it as well and as a speech pathologist I look at faces for a living, but I think we mamas just can't see it on our own babies. I was speaking to a friend who is a physical therapist and she was explaining that basically when when babies are young their plates in their head are not fused yet and can shift. If they turn their head and favor one side (the left) it pushes the plates forward and a bulge on that side of the forehead. By getting them to turn to the other side more the plates can shift back allowing the forehead bulge to lessen. Hope that makes sense!