Question about helmets?

Both of my identical twin boys have flat spots. Connor has it on the right side pushing everything on the right slightly forward. His ear, forhead, eye and his nose has changed shape as well. Caleb has it straight accross the back causing the back to be higher than the front on top and the sides bulge out in back as well causing his ears to stick out. When I took them for their 4 month appointment the doctor said to wait until they were 6 months and if they weren't better she would send them to see if they could get helmets to round out their heads. She said she would put a note in the file saying this incase I saw a different doctor. Well I did see a different doctor who brought up this note and examined their heads. He said yes Caleb's was flat but it was just a cosmetic flaw. Connor on the other hand might have problems with vision perseption since one eye is farther forward than the other. So he said he would refer Connor but Caleb. I asked if either would fix itself and he said if it hasn't already it's not going to get much better.

I was just wondering about anyone's experiences dealing with their own babies' flat heads? I have identical twins that do not look identical because of the very different head shapes caused from the flatness. And I would like them to look alike like they were supposed to. I also don't see it as fair that one gets to have a nice round head and not the other. I expressed my concerns to the doctor but he was addiment about his belief that cosmetic is not cause for a referral. I have also heard that they can get migranes from having flatness in the back. I also mentioned this and he said there wasn't significant finding through research to support this. Should I go around this doctor and back to the first one to try to get the referral or is it really not as big of a deal as I am making it? If it's not done by 12 months there is not fixing it. So I can't just put it off.

TIA

 

Hi,

I don't have experience with flat head but it seems like it really bothers you. In that case, I would go back to the doctor that said that she would refer both babies. I always fight with all doctors to get what I think is right for my babies, and you can too although I do admit it is very uncomfortable at times and I feel I loose my etiquette. Oh well! I think it would bother me as well if babies were identical and I completely agree with your point of view with respect to one baby having a nice round head and not the other.

When we were "shaping" our babies heads, our doctor was very on top of it. He even drew a dot on my daughter's head to make sure we put her on that side and don't get confused. He also said that after 4 months the only way to correct is to wear a helmet which works great but only until they are one year old.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

I am actually going through a similar situation except my husband did not want to do the helmet and thought our son grow out of it; I decided I didnt want to take the risk of his head not improving and we are getting a helmet on Tuesday. Originally both boys had flat spots around 4 months (one worse than the other) I brought the issue up with my pedi, he did not deny it but really wasnt as supportive or infomative as I would have liked but did give us a referral. By 7 months DS1 flat spot had improved but still noticable and DS2 was not noticiable anymore. Its a very tough decision but YOU are your children's advocate and if your instinct is to get it done then do whatever it takes to get it done. And believe me if you put up a fuss with your pedi they will give you the referral. And actually i really am not even sure if you need a referral to be consulted. If I were you I would get a second opinion from another pedi and call a helmet company to see if you need a referral to be seen. We are using Cranial Technology but another company we have here in Dallas is Starband. Both are supposed to be pretty good.
Also yahoo support groups have plagiocephaly groups, you can find info there as well. I go there frequently and it has really helped me make my decision and they have tons of helpful information.
Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

Thank you for your replys. I have decided I will deffinatly not give in. I will however need to have a referral inorder for insurance to cover it. We are military and have tricare. The one who did get the referral is going to plastic surgeory at Children's hospital in the city near us. I was going to ask them while I was there if I would also need a separate referral for the other baby or if maybe they could do it off of both. Luckily my husband is mostly supportive of this. While he doesn't really want them wearing helmets all the time, he also doesn't want them to have the flat spots so he said we should get them.
I'll let you know if I am successful. Thank you

 

I would push until you get the helmets. Absolutely. I do not understand why Docs act like it's not a problem? I would want it fixed too!

GL. Keep us posted!!

 

Yep, I would get the referral and at least get someone else's opinion before making a decision. GL!

 

I sort of see why docs don't make a big deal out of it. My girls both had pretty severe flat spots on their right side at 4 mos old. I wanted to get helmets right away but insurance wouldn't cover it (maybe it was the $2M NICU bills...lol) and their developmental doc said it wasn't severe enough for helmets.
Now at 9 mos, their flat spots are nearly gone and barely noticeable now.