Flat Head Syndrome? Help is out there, says Ballymena mum
PLACING babies to sleep flat on their backs is a tried and trusted method of avoiding instances of every parent's greatest fear - cot death - becoming a reality.
It is, however, increasing a phenomenon known as positional plagiocephaly.
More commonly called Flat Head Syndrome, it's caused when babies spend a considerable amount of time with their head resting in the same position such as sleeping on their back in a cot.
A purely cosmetic issue, Flat Head Syndrome in no way impacts on the child's brain or intellectual development.
Nonetheless, parents worldwide are expressing their concern about it in increasingly greater numbers and while, most cases of the syndrome seem to correct themselves, more and more mums and dads of affected babies area seeking the advice of specialists, among them Jacqueline and Martin King from Ballymena.
Their son Jack was born with a normal shaped head but tended to lie with his head to one side and at just eight weeks, the couple from Clogher Road noticed a flatness beginning to appear at the back corner of his skull.
As time went on, they just weren't convinced that the condition would correct itself.
"The problem got worse as time went on and we tried to reposition him but he was determined to continue to lay his head the way he wanted," said Jacqueline.
The couple sought the opinion of their GP but were advised that, given the condition's purely cosmetic affects, treatment was not available on the National Health Service.
By chance, Jacqueline bumped into an old friend on the streets of Ballymena whose infant had developed Flat Head.
"The baby had a little helmet on and we got chatting about it. By the following Friday, we were on our way to a clinic in Leeds that could help Jack," said Jacqueline.
Then 10 months, Jack was formally diagnosed with plagiocephaly and a couple of weeks later got his own specially made hat.
"He's had it now for five months and we're extremely happy with the results so far - He's just got to wear it for another six weeks and that's it!," said Jacqueline.
She explained that the duration of the treatment depends on the age of the baby when it's diagnosed and the severity of their condition.
Although the hat may look cumbersome, she says Jack, like most babies, adapted very quickly to it and misses it when it comes off twice a day for just half an hour each time.
One of four babies from the Ballymena area who had hats fitted last year at the clinic in Leeds, Jack will be the last of the group to finish his treatment. The others are now hat-free and their little heads have righted themselves.
For any parents out there with concerns about the shape of their baby’s head, Jacqueline and Martin would recommend following the route to private treatment.
“We just hope that telling our story might help other parents out there who may be going through the same dilemma that we did last year - thinking that there is no help out there when there is,” said Jacqueline.
“There’s lots of information about treatment on the internet which can be accessed by simply logging on to www.plagiocephaly but what is done with it is down, of course, to individual parental choice,” she added.
Jacqueline and Martin are certainly confident that, where little Jack is concerned, they made the right choice.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Ballymena
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 12 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: South
