Head case

I've noticed that Ryan's little head has been somewhat flat on her left side for about 4 weeks now, but one day after she woke from a nap it was definitely F.L.A.T. I know that kiddos at this age have an ever-changing head shape and tummy-time is a must, but I should've used my motherly instincts when I first noticed it, but thought I was just being particular of my little angel's noggin and continued to increase her time spent on her tummy. We went ahead and visited our pedi the next day, instead of waiting for our 4 mo. visit which is next week. (The timeline for all this started last monday 3.1.10) As explained to us by our pedi, because the APA is now recommending that babies sleep on their back, it has caused a growing number of children to have "flat head syndrome", and since this is all within the last 10 years, there isn't much research. Because the suture's in her head haven't fully fused together, 4 mo. seems to be a great age to address this problem and receive significant results. It seems that her older patients, and by older I mean 7 mo.+, aren't getting as good of results and are having to resort to wearing a helmet. I was completely prepared for her to tell us Ryan would be put in a helmet, but was relieved to learn that her belief is quite the opposite. Man, I L.O.V.E this woman!!!! She feels that a helmet is an extreme measure and should be used only as a last resort. She has had almost 100% success referring her patients to a Chiropractor and those who didn't see the full results were either brought in too late, had parents that didn't want to take the time of daily dr. visits or were born with this head shape. Though Kipp has adjusted both girls since birth, he specializes in sports injuries and felt this should be handled by a D.C. that specialized in pediatrics. We have had 3 visits so far with our new, beloved Chiro Dr. Melissa Shelton. She considers R's case to be "moderate" and feels we will see results in a matter of weeks! Our pedi also told us that she needs to take naps on her belly and at night should be in a sleep positioner, only sleeping on her right side, at this point, until the D.C. gives us the go-ahead to rotate her on each side. Not being able to sit up poses lots of frustration, on my end, on how she can spend her days NOT laying flat on her head.



It was hard to capture a good pic showing the shape, but this one, if you look closely, shows the flatness of the right side (her left side) and if you look at her ears they are completely offset from each other. The suture's on her left side have overlapped causing the ones on the back of her head to have a gap. Using Chiropractic, she can gently shift everything back, including her ear! I am so thankful to have met this doctor! This isn't the same pedi we've used for Kella, we love her too, but since she closed her office and is strictly using her downtown Dallas location we decided to look for someone closer. We found this new pedi from a fellow chiro and are soooo thankful for her. I won't bore you with her beliefs, theory's, yada-yada, but it is beyond refreshing to find someone who thinks outside the box when it comes to the health of our children. I am so grateful for her! She also has tons of knowledge on Kella's disorder (I hate calling it that), so we have since made her Kella's new doctor as well!