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North Dakota Babies
Flat head
Ok ladies, I'm freaking out. Reese's head is REALLY flat on the right side. I knew it was getting bad, but my mom confirmed for me this morning that it's pretty bad. Ever since she was born, she only wants to turn her head to the right. We do everything we can to keep her attention to the left, but she will only keep her head turned that way for a few seconds. So, her head is turned to the right when she is playing, & then for her naps during the day, & for 11 hours of sleep at night. I try turning it after she falls asleep, but it doesn't work. We try to do plenty of tummy time, but that can only last for so long. We have started holding her in our right arm so that the right side of her head gets a break, & we are trying to keep her in a seated position as much as possible. We just got a bumbo seat to have another activity to keep her off of her head. She goes to the pedi next Saturday, & I am really nervous to hear what he has to say about it. It's really freaking me out, & I feel like a terrible mother. I feel like people are going to think that I never play with my kid & just leave her laying around or something. 
We're doing everything we can, but it's just not helping. Anyone have any suggestions? This is really upsetting me.
We're doing everything we can, but it's just not helping. Anyone have any suggestions? This is really upsetting me. This discussion has been closed.
Re: Flat head
Katy and Brett ~ Runaway Bay, Jamaica ~ October 4, 2008
First, you're not a bad mom. Don't beat yourself up!
Second, she lays on that side now because it is more comfortable because it is flat. So it takes enticing to get her to look the other way.
Recs from my doc and the doc of a mom in my Mom&Me class that had a flat head - which was fixed with these things!
Does she have a playmat that she lays on and looks up at the toys? Put all the toys on the left side, so she has to lay on the side of her head that isn't flat to look at the toys and reach for them.
When playing with her, lay her on the ground and couch on the round side and get down on her level. She will want to see you because you're interesting and you're mommy. Make sure you tell your mom to do this too, and not to move the toys on the playmat either.
In her crib, put all her intersting stuff on the side that is rounder. That way, hopefully she will fall asleep with her head to the left.
Check on her at night while she is sleeping and always move her head to the left. Usually she will be so out of it, that she will just sleep like that instead of moving her head back to the right.
And if it gets really bad, your doc can talk to you about propping her up on the round side while she is sleeping so she has to sleep on her left side. The lady in my mom& me class did this and she said it only took a couple weeks-a month ofr his head to go round again.
Don't beat yourself up! Her head is maleable and it will go round again!
This. Hugs, Dani!
This!
Okay first of all, you are not a bad Mom, my friend's daughter has the same problem but it is her left side. She went to the Dr and her muscles on her left side are under developed in her neck which causes her to always put her neck to the left....It is called: torticollic (not sure if I spelled it right)
Anyway, her daughter just has to go to physical therapy once a week to strengthen the muscles on that side, and eventually her head will go back to the round form it is suppose to have. If not, sometimes they have you wear a helmet (if it is not caught in time)....
Don't worry, no matter what the reason it can be fixed...You did nothing to cause it, but you want to catch it in time....Ask your pedi for a referral to a PT to check it out......My friend said that sometimes the pedi will say dont worry it will go away, but she says it doesn't so be persisent to have her looked at by a PT.....
I only know what my friend tells me, but what you described is exactly what my friend is going through now....
Caroline had the same thing. She just preferred to lay on a certain side, we always fed her on that side, etc. The pedi recommended a sleep positioner so we got one so that we could sort of prop her up on the other side while she was sleeping. We also did some of the things that Ashley recommended - jsut doing activities to get her to use the other side. I don't think it took too long for her to stop favoring that side and for her head to round back out.
Thank you girls for the advice. Ashely, it makes total sense that now she lays that way because she's created a comfortable flat spot for herself. We do try to always stay on her other side, & we move her toys over to entice her to face the other way, but it doesn't seem to work. In her room, her tree & flowers are on the left side & she still doesn't look that way. Maybe I'll try laying her the opposite way in her crib to see if maybe she's more interested in looking out around the room. I'll keep trying to move her head after she is deep asleep. She always fights me on it, or moves it back right away, but maybe I'm just not waiting long enough. Mel, thanks for the PT rec. I will look into that. You girls are the best!
This exactly! Sounds like you got some great advice (((hugs)))
~Kimberly & Eric~ April 21, 2008 ~Tensing Pen ~ Negril, Jamaica ~ My Blog: One Sunset at a Time
This is exactly what happened with my cousin's baby- he had low muscle tone on the one side which caused him to do this. He even favored eating from one breast over the other because of this & my cousins chest was always lop-sided because of it!
HUGS to you! Just know that with the "Back to Sleep" Campaign you are certainly NOT the only parent going through this- it is VERY common any more.
This is great advice!!! The doc told me to do a lot of these things when Mari's chin was only pointing one way at one point - he called it a "twist in her neck" but ultimately it was leading to a flat spot on the back of her head too. Eventually, with LOTS of side play, it rounded itself out, so don't worry too much.
And PS - YOU ARE NO WHERE NEAR A BAD MOM!!!! Why the hell do we all beat ourselves up?!??!
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