Positional plagiocephaly and the NEED for tummy time.
I'm a first-time mom, living in a new state with my husband. We moved in January of 2010 and we found out we were pregnant with our son in March. It's been an amazing and frightening experience, doing it on our own without our mothers and aunts down our backs.
But honestly, I wish they would have been here sometimes. I was so freaked out about making a mistake that I followed every advice I read literally to a T. I put my beautiful son down to sleep on his back every night and felt proud when he would sleep 8, even 10 hours through. I thought, hey, I'm getting the hang of this. I can do this after all.
But I didn't notice that his head was flattening out in the back. I just didn't notice. What kind of a mother doesn't pay attention to this detail? I was caught up with his feedings, his laundry, my husband, everything but his head. And then we went to visit family when he was 4 months old and did I EVER get hell for it!
I also noticed that after 6 months, he wasn't really interested in holding or grasping objects. He didn't understand that he had to hold his bottle at some point. Even at 9 months now, he still won't.
Back to his head. After following the ped's advice to "let it round out on its own", I finally decided to see someone who could give me concrete help. And a diagnosis. And at 9 months old, my son is getting a Doc Band and it's scaring the *** out of me. I feel like I'm punishing him for MY mistake as a mom.
So to anyone reading this, please heed the advice of tummy time. Watch your darling babies' heads. DON'T use jumpers. Have him roll around and get strong. Have him develop his upper body. Tummy time is essential, not only to prevent flat spots but to develop his upper body strength, hand-eye coordination, etc. It can even develop neuron synapse connections that will help your child be able to tie his shoes when he's older.
Don't get caught up in trying to be perfect. Just pay attention to your CHILD and see what your precious one needs.
Re: Positional plagiocephaly and the NEED for tummy time.
Your baby doesn't need to hold his own bottle.
annnd you posted this on the 9-12 board, all of our babies are old enough that they don't really NEED tummy time at this age, they are doing other things to strengthen their muscles...ya know, like sitting up, crawling and walking.
And what is wrong with the jumper? Many babies use them and their heads are fine? Tummy time is important in younger babies. However at 9-12 months, the board you posted in, I doubt that most babies are still getting tummy time. Most babies this age are sitting up, crawling and learning to walk.
Then again my DS never had tummy time, couldn't stand it and his head is just fine.
Yeah, this was my thought. My first son had torticollis and plagio...he wore a helmet, his head is (mostly) round now...it really wasn't a big deal, at all.
He also never held his bottle. Ever.
I am so sorry that you are having a hard time with this and appreciate you taking the time to share your story. I'm sure I would be upset too. You are a new mom and you did what you thought was best. Try not to beat yourself up over the situation.
However, I do think that this would be very important information to post on some of the earlier boards such as the 0-3 or 3-6.
Good Luck!
Correct, we're in a helmet too and it isn't a big deal but it felt like a big deal when we were told we had to get one.
I see where you're coming from OP and I'm sorry you have to deal with this. It is hard and scary at first but it gets easier. Don't give in to the mommy guilt, you are doing everything you can to help your LO now. Helmeting is the right decision and it's only a short time in LO's life. It make take a bit longer because he is older but it'll work. Best of luck!
Thanks for your advice and input everyone. I wrote this post last night when I was feeling particularly low, and should have placed a warning on the title!
Helmeting is NOT the end of the world, but sometimes the guilt creeps in and takes over. It definitely could be worse.
Maybe the lesson to be learned in all this is to accept the fact that we're inevitably bound to make mistakes. As parents we just have to keep calm and carry on.
Thanks for the understanding and support, and I'll definitely post my tummy time advice on a younger board.
Oh and the jumper thing...I think my husband and I used the jumper way too much. My son loved the thing and it was SUPER convenient for us, but in hindsight I feel that much of that time could have been better spent developing his upper body strength. Everything in moderation.