if you have a DOC Band for head flattening...

NYBride1125

Did your pedi refer you to a place to get fitted? We went to Cranial Technologies today, but it wasn't because my pedi referred me...it was beacuse I am a paranoid FTM and my daughter has a bit of a flat spot. They said she had a moderate case of head flattening (both the back and the side) and they would recommend a DOC Band. However, my husband is skeptical because they sell them. We are meeting with our regular pediatrician on Monday (he's never mentioned her head shape) but just looking for others who had experience. Or, if you have older kids who had flat heads, did it eventually even out?? THanks!!!

nic5606

i kept asking about it at each appt. My pedi said it would likely round out. I looked into locations for treatment and then told her i wanted a referral. I am so glad we did it. We went to hanger orthotics and he was fit for his helmet. He has had it on for almost 2 months and already we see a huge improvement. The longer you wait, the longer it will take to correct. Go with your gut, I did an am glad i did. I would hate to have said i should have done it when its no longer an option. Our insurance paid for most of it. They look so cute in their bands too!!!

klovesp95

Hi, my dd currently is in her 8th week of her band.  She was born with Torticollis and despite repositioning and weekly PT she developed a mild flat spot (plagio) and moderate brachycephaly, which is when the head is disproportionately wide.  My pedi said he'd seen worse and didn't outright recommend it but my DH and I decided to listen to our gut and go to CT for the evaluation. They said she had moderate brachy and would recommend treatment. Honestly, I was not concerned so much with the shape of her head as much as the asymmetry in her face and misalignment of her ears due to the Tort and Brachy.  But I am glad she has improved on all fronts

I can totally see why your DH would be hesitant...I know they can come across as pitchy/sales-like.  We left there thinking the same and called a friend whose daughter had 3.  They had a great experience and helped us to solidify our decision to go for it.  We felt that we would rather treat her than risk the regret we'd have of not treating and her head not getting better. 

8 weeks out with 4 left to go until graduation day, I can say I am so glad we went with our gut.  She responded well and had zero trouble acclimating to the helmet.  We are so used to her in it and she just looks so darn cute.  

I would bring up your concerns to your pedi on Monday.  He will need to write a prescription for treatment if you decide to go for it.  Please feel free to PM me with any questions.   Best of luck whatever you decide.

 

hmms

Our pedi referred us to Mayo Hospital (Rochester, MN), we saw a pediatric plastic surgeon who took many measurements/pictures.  DS's measurements fell into the moderately severe (plagio only) category and he was a good candidate for helmet therapy.  He wore it for 10 weeks.  I hated it, but we're so thankful we did it (and we'd do it all over), he's got a nice round head.  Like a pp mentioned, the earlier you start the faster the results.  DS wore his from approx 5.5-8 months.  Our insurance did not cover it, it was considered cosmetic.

doubleOmommy

My DS just graduated from his DOC band yesterday! I am SO happy with the results and he only had to wear it for 7 weeks. I see why your DH would be feeling that way, but honestly you will not regret getting the band... but you may regret not getting it down the road. I mentioned the flattening to the pedi at 3 months and she said she didnt think it was bad and told us to wait a month and see if it gets better. It got worse and he got the band at 5.5 months. I will post his before/after pics so you can see the difference in such a short time. If you have any doubt about the flattening on your LO I would highly recommend cranial technologies. They are wonderful and I could not be happier with the treatment my DS recieved.

hsal

I'm only mentioning this because you said it was you who wants it, not the pedi.

I was concerned about flattening on my daughter, it was clearly visible but he didn't think it warranted a helmet, however he recommended the Noggin Nest and we used it for 2 weeks and her head is perfectly round now, no visible flatness.

 It's not a substitute for anything a doctor would recommend but it may help you feel better, certainly was great for us! 

NYBride1125

HSAL - how old was your daughter when you used this Noggin Nest?

Excited Mrs P

I honestly, would get a second opinion. I could have written your EXACT post.. to the day even. I took my LO to Cranial Technologies on Thursday (yesterday morning). They told me the EXACT same thing about my daughter. That it was moderate because they could see it from looking at it, etc. Gorgeous office, nice toys, fancy place... but the picture lady nor the man who I can only assume is a trained therapist was a doctor. They also never mentioned her exact measurements - what is considered normal and what is not. Needless to say, I left there thinking my daughter without a doubt needed to be in a Doc Band within the next 2 weeks and if insurance didn't cover it, I would have to pay out of pocket to fix her shape!

 I'm only bringing this up because this morning (Friday) I took her for a second opinion to an actual doctor that works with the Hanger Helmets/Bands. Not as fancy of a place, but before even measuring her -- he explained everything to me and what is considered within normal range and what is not. He did say that LO had a slight flattening -- but he also mentioned that she had a bump in the back, which indicates it beginning to correct itself (I was told at Cranial Technologies that it would NEVER correct itself without a Doc Band, but just may not get worse now that she is sitting up, etc.). What is considered a normal range is a difference of 8mm when measuring. My LO measured at 7mm. He said it was mild and not moderate. Additionally, he scheduled us to come back in 2 weeks to see if there is improvement, if it has stayed the same, or if it has gotten worse.

After today's appointment, I would personally NEVER go back to Cranial Technologies. If she needs a band/helmet, I'm going with Hanger. They have been around longer and I like the fact that it was less pushy and they didn't make me feel like something was wrong with my child. They were HONEST!

hsal

NYBride1125:

HSAL - how old was your daughter when you used this Noggin Nest?

6 months. She had (what I thought) was extreme flattening because she alwasy turned her head to the right side so the back right and side of her head were barely rounded. People would ask us about it and when we were going to get a helmet but our pedi kept saying we didn't need one. We used the noggin nest whenever she was in her swing or laying down. I was skeptical but there was a marked improvement within a week, and at $20, it was more financially feasible than anything else.