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A newborn baby’s skull is very soft. This softness not only allows the baby’s head to pass through the birth canal more easily but also permit the brain to grow and develop in the first year after a baby is born. A baby’s skull is consists of numerous bones that ultimately fuse together. Before the bones fuse together, a baby’s head can be easily “molded”. A lot of vaginally delivered babies are born with an oddly shaped head caused because of the pressure of passing through the birth canal. Within 6 weeks of birth, this is corrected on its own. But if you notice that your baby still has a soft or flat spot on his skull even after six weeks, it is probably because of positional plagiocephaly. Continue reading to know more about this condition.
Positional plagiocephaly is a problem in which a soft flat spot is developed on your baby’s head either on the side or sometimes even at the back of the head due to continuous pressure on the skull on that part. This typically happens when a baby sleeps on that side of the head all the time and eventually that side gets pressed against a flat surface or mattress causing the skull bone which is soft and malleable to deform and become a bit oddly shaped. It can also happen if there is a problem with baby’s neck muscles.
Several factors can lead to positional plagiocephaly in babies:
Parents can easily find flattened head syndrome in babies. You will notice that the back of baby’s head called the occiput is flattened on one side and there will be less hair growth on that part of baby’s head. If the problem is severe, then you may see that your baby’s head may bulge from the opposite side of the flattened spot and the forehead may be uneven.
If torticollis is the cause behind positional plagiocephaly, then baby’s face, neck, and jaw may be uneven.
To diagnose flat head syndrome in babies, the doctor will look at your baby’s head for the following features:
The doctor will monitor the shape of baby’s head over few visits to see any significant changes. He will advise you to reposition your baby’s head during this time and if this helps the skull over time then he will diagnose this as a case of flat head syndrome.
Sometimes positional plagiocephaly can also look like another problem known craniosynostosis. This conditions may need a different kind of treatment. If your doctor suspects craniosynostosis, he will recommend you to visit a pediatric neurosurgeon or a craniofacial plastic surgeon for further investigation and treatment.
A treatment option is determined by the age of baby, cause, and severity of the problem. Basically, the position of the baby’s head should change frequently when the baby is lying down.
If the above treatment options are not successful then the next mode of treatment is corrective helmet therapy
Orthotic helmet is prescribed in severe cases of positional plagiocephaly. The severity will be very intense that the shape of the baby’s face is affected. A custom-molded helmet is prescribed to babies between 4 to 12 month age group where the kids grow quickly and their bones are moldable. This should not be used unless prescribed by a doctor. This is usually recommended if the repositional therapy for 2 to 3 months does not show any improvement and if the symptoms aggravate. This therapy usually lasts for 2 to 6 months depending on the severity of the problem and the time when you start the treatment. This treatment is done along with physiotherapy to get best results.
You may worry and feel dreadful with the mere thought of your baby wearing a helmet for so long but these helmets are very lightweight and babies get accustomed to them in a short period of time.
It is proven that a baby should lie on his back to prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). However, there are certain measures that will help to prevent the possibility of flat head syndrome or positional plagiocephaly in babies.
Once your infant can sit independently, the flattened head or positional plagiocephaly will get better. As the baby grows, his skull will also grow and eventually even severe cases of the flattened head will improve. Do bear in mind that your baby’s head will never be perfectly symmetrical but slowly as the baby grows, the asymmetry will become less visible. Research have shown that by school age, a flattened head will not be a social or cosmetic problem.
Also do remember that if your baby has a flat head syndrome, it will not affect his brain growth or cause any brain damage.
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