CC’s has been wearing a helmet for 2 weeks now and I thought I’d share how this came to be as it wasn’t an easy decision for us. In hindsight, I can’t believe how much I hemmed and hawed over this decision…

The helmet conversation has been ongoing since CC was 2 months old.  I told our pediatrician she seemed to favor her right side when sleeping and her head was starting to look flat. I’d read that some babies have torticollis – a condition in which the neck muscles contract, causing the head to twist to one side with a limited range of motion to the opposite side.  The pediatrician said it was probably too soon to know if she had torticoolis but we could start to do physical therapy as a proactive measure. I thought it was kinda crazy for a 2-month old to start PT,  but thought if it could help us avoid the helmet it was worth a try.

For six weeks we diligently went to PT and practiced our at home exercises. It was determined that she didn’t have torticollis as she was able to turn her head to the left left side, she just had a strong for her right side. We continued to increase tummy time and do the exercises. We noticed improvement with her head shape and scaled back on PT to every other week.  At CC’s 4-month appointment the pediatrician said her right side looked better, but now she was seeing an overall flatness on the back of her head. Medically speaking it’s called plagiocephaly and it develops when an infant’s soft skull becomes flattened in one area, due to repeated pressure on one part of the head. Many babies develop plagiocephaly by sleeping regularly in one position. This condition occurs more often in premature infants whose skulls are especially pliable. Our next check up for CC wasn’t until her 6-month appointment, so the doctor suggested we touch base the following month for what he referred to as a wellness head check.

The 5-month appointment happened when we were in the midst of our move to the suburbs. We visited our practice’s suburban location and since we hadn’t committed to a doctor in the practice we saw whomever was first available. In my opinion, the pediatrician we saw was an alarmist. She voiced concern that CC’s brain wouldn’t be able to grow correctly if her head was flat. This was the first time I’d heard that her head shape could have the consequence of more than just a flat head. At the pediatrician’s suggestion we made an appointment to see the orthotist asap.

The following week we met with the orthotist, physical therapist and a nurse. They team assured us her case wasn’t serve enough that it would impact her brain development and this was solely a cosmetic decision.  They put CC in a special cap and did a 3D scan of her head shape using an iphone. The scan confirmed what we already knew, CC’s head was flat in the back and a tad on the right hand side. She tested in the moderate category for the back of her head and mild for her right side. If a baby’s head measures in the mild category they don’t suggest helmet treatment. When the measurements land in the moderate category they recommended it, but ultimately the decision is up to the parents. If the results are severe they require the treatment.

The trio said the decision was ours to make. They said some babies head shapes do round out on their own once they start sleeping on their stomaches. At this point, CC had just started sitting up on her own which would equate to less time spent with pressure on the back of her head. They suggested we start to file a claim with insurance as if we were moving forward to get the process started and once we hear back from insurance come back to reevaluate.

Our follow-up orthotist appointment happened one month later.  This time we didn’t have the helpful trio and we’re paired with just an orthotist whom had zero bedside manner. He took measurements of CC’s head and told me her head shape had gotten a slightly worse and asked what color helmet we would like. I was really taken aback. CC had started sleeping on her stomach and I was sure her head shape was starting to round out on it’s own. We didn’t have the same open forum discussion I had at my previous appointment and I wasn’t expecting this outcome, especially since I had been working to avoid the helmet for the past 4 months.

Through all of this I realized we needed a new pediatrician we trusted. Our new pediatrician was kind enough to squeeze us in so we could chat this through with someone. He provided really great insight, but again told me the decision was ours to make. He said if it was his child he wouldn’t suggest the helmet.  He mentioned at this phase of life babies heads are proportion to their bodies, so we notice their head shape more. As we get older our head is a smaller part of your body and is usually covered by hair. The doctor said there are probably a lot of people walking around with flat heads that we never notice. He also said the helmet might not work and if we go that route we need to be OK with that. He assured us neither decision would be the wrong one.We left the appointment feeling better and with a new pediatrician we really liked, but still felt like we were at square one. It would’ve been easier if someone said it was mandatory.  This is when I decided to lean on the amazing community of Instagram. When I posed the question I got a mix of answers which is exactly what I wanted. Real scenarios and advice from those who were on both sides of the helmet case. It was so helpful to hear from other moms who had gone through this too.

Ultimately I came to the realization that I didn’t like either option. I didn’t want CC to have a flat head  and I didn’t really want her to wear the helmet, both of which are vain. I realized both reasons were selfish. As parents we left we wanted to do everything in our power to set her up for success in life, even if it means wearing a helmet for the vanity of wanting a round head.

Sitting on the other side of the decision post-helmet all this of back and fourth feels really silly.  The first few days of the helmet were an adjustment which made me dislike the darn helmet even more than I’d already did. After day 3, CC didn’t even notice the helmet was on her head and I quickly felt the same. Time is flying by (as usual) and this is just a short phase for us.

While pregnant someone said to me “Make sure you don’t let your baby spend the whole day on their back or their head will get flat and they’ll have to wear one of those goofy helmets.” Those helmets are simply helping their babies head shapes form while they’re too young to have any ideas what’s going on.

The parents of babies wearing helmets might’ve had a similar emotional roller coaster as ours. Having gone through this I am much more educated and less judgmental about the helmet. I hope reading our story makes you that way too.

CC’s helmet is pink and has this fun monogrammed sticker on it. She wears it for 23 hours a day and will most likely have it on for 3 months. We have our first follow-up appointment next week!