Baby Head Issues

Baby head issues and treatment therapies are discussed since your grandchild may experience during or after his hospital stay.

During a routine visit at eight months, my grandchildren's pediatrician was concerned that our youngest grandson's head measurement wasn't within the acceptable range. According to a Head Circumference for Age Percentile Growth Chart and Calculator, he was able to determine that he was at less than 10%. He mentioned several things that it might be, but Microcephaly is a medical condition in which the circumference of the head is smaller than normal. Of course, this was a very scary time!

This condition most often occurs because the brain fails to grow at a normal rate. Skull growth is determined by brain growth. Brain growth takes place while in the womb and during infancy.

In other words, his brain wasn't growing at the rate that the specialist felt that it should. So my daughter scheduled an appointment with a neonatal neurologist to examine him. He required a Cat Scan of his skull. Below is the equipment that was used for this procedure.

This photo is an example of our grandson having a Cat Scan at eight months old. Since the test was scheduled during his nap-time, it was suggested that she give him a bottle to comfort him while the test was being administered. I had gone with her as her support system that day.

Treatment: None. Baby head issues are always a concern. The parents visited the neonatal neurologist again during 11th month of life and my grandson was again measured and now he is at the low end of the curve for growth. The specialist was encouraged by this growth and he will continue to be observed, but it is felt that since he is now growing and developing more normally, he will probably have normal intelligence and continue to develop and meet regular age-appropriate milestones.

As a preemie, we know he still has delays and he has battled through all that are listed throughout this guide. He is progressing normally at his rate!

More Baby Head Issues: Misshapen Head

When you are babysitting, have you noticed your grandchild's head looks "out-of-shape?" If so, There is a test that you can do to help identify baby head issues. My daughter and I did this to the twins to see if there was an issue.

Place your grandchild in front of a mirror. It is really best if you have someone help you. Put your index fingers in each ear and look at the mirror. If your grandchild's ears are in alignment, then there probably isn't a baby head issue. However, if there is a large difference in the ear placement called asymmetrical, then you need to bring this issue to your children. Our grandson's head was misshapen in all quadrants.

• Plagiocephaly is the word that is used to describe a diagonal asymmetry across the head shape. This word particularly describes a flattening which is to one side at the back of the head and there is often some facial asymmetry. Brachycephaly describes a very wide head shape with a flattening across the whole back of the head. Baby B had issues with all quadrants of the head. Treatment: More than 80 percent of the brain’s growth occurs during the first 13 months of life. If an infant has mild deformational plagiocephaly, it usually corrects itself. If not, infants can begin wearing a craniofacial orthosis (a custom-made brace for the skull) between the ages of four to eight months. After 12 to 13 months of age, the use of an orthosis is not as effective and is less likely to change the shape of the baby’s head. My grandson is wearing a Doc Band from the Dallas office.

In fact, my daughter worked tireless with this staff to finally get a fit that conformed to his head. As I mentioned earlier, he had misshapen head in all quadrants, so it required 3 bands before the fit was successful. At that time, there was a consistent change in the growth or rounding of his head.

The DOC Band from Cranial Technologies consists of an outer plastic shell with a foam lining. The band applies pressure to capture the continuous growth of a baby's head, holding the growth where necessary and encouraging growth in the head's flat regions. Specific adjustments are made weekly, and the time rate of treatment depends upon both the baby's age and severity of the deformity.

We were so thankful each time his head grew no matter how small the change. We appreciate the dedicated staff that worked to make this a successful experience.

Doc Band Quads from Dallas, TX All Doc Bands are specially fit per child.

The DOC Band, a 6-ounce device, consists of an outer plastic shell with a foam lining. Each DOC Band is different and made specifically for each child by the the experienced Cranial Technologies manufacturing team in Tempe, Ariz. His specific Doc-Band, inside and out

After several months, my grandson's band was removed today! I was there when images were taken and photos were made of his head! This is an amazing treatment and I hope that anyone that has a grandchild that has Plagiocephaly will consider this treatment. I know that his head is not 100% symmetrical, but after his hair grows in fully, nobody will probably notice.

However, if this had gone untreated, in the future, our grandson's baby head issues would have continued to be misshapen.

Picture on the left is of the DSI-Digital Surface Imaging system. As you can see from the image above on the right, the baby's head has filled in and become more regular shape from wearing the band. This 3-D image was approved by the FDA in 2008 and captures a 360degree image of a child's head. It is exclusively used by Cranial Technologies to acquire an accurate casting process of the baby's head.

After waiting a few weeks, our grandson was fitted with his helmet.   Although it wasn't his most favorite 'hat', he tolerated wearing it for almost 6 months. 

As you can see, wearing a helmet doesn't deter my grandson from playing with his twin brother at home or playing with a toy at the specialist's office.  Although three helmets were required during the process, his head dimensions were altered.  If your child or grandchild needs a helmet, please seek advice as soon as possible.

Baby Head Concerns

Head Circumference for Age Percentile Growth Chart and Calculator:  head size calculator.

Microcephaly is a medical condition in which the circumference of the head is smaller than normal.

Plagiocephaly is the word that is used to describe a diagonal asymmetry across the head shape.

Brachycephaly describes a very wide head shape with a flattening across the whole back of the head.

I hope as you read through this list, you will share baby head issues that your grandchildren may have experienced. By completing the form at the end of this page, you may help other grandparents understand issues that face our precious grandchildren.

If your grandchildren have issues with their eyes, neck or other parts of their body (trunk), please check the various conditions listed.

Find more grandparenting ideas online at our Home Page Grandparenting Essentials 

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