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Original poster

Friends baby has a flat head - plagio whatis?

28 replies

jellyjelly · 15/05/2006 16:41

Cant remember the name to research for her, seen it on here but dont know full name of it.

Help

OP posts:
iota · 15/05/2006 16:48

\link{http://www.plagiocephalyuk.co.uk/\see here}

shellybelly · 15/05/2006 18:58

dd has this but its improved greatly infact you can barely notice it now.

She sees a doc at the hospital (for totally different reasons) but when she was younger you really could see her head was a funny shape, I remember saying to the doc that we were considering getting a helmet for her if it didn't improve (at the time i think they were around 1700 private) the doc said he wouldn't even pay seventeen pounds for one and that they weren't worth it, said that it sorts itself out (sure there are some parents out there that might disagree tho)

beckybrastraps · 15/05/2006 19:14

Please make sure she wants all the info. This seems to be everywhere at the moment, I have had shedloads of information from people, and I really am not in the least bothered about it. I refuse to medicalise something which is entirely cosmetic and will infact be disguised by hair in no time at all. The woman who referred to dd's "deformity" was lucky to get away without a slap.

gegs73 · 15/05/2006 19:32

I've just looked at the case study on iota's link and I think the child's head would probably have gone back naturally anyway.

Ds had awful flat head alot worse than the before picture shown and it didn't start getting better until he was around 7 months. It was completely skewed in one direction as he always laid/sat with his head turned to the right. Over time it did get better and now is perfect would never know he had it. Unless it was REALLY bad I don't think I'd bother with the helmet.

Kelly1978 · 15/05/2006 19:33

My sons have this too, and I couldn't agree more with becky and shelly.

inkyminky · 15/05/2006 19:40

Another one to add that DS was so very flat at the back of his head I was so worried, even his ears were wonkey. Went back to doctor time & time again, did see a cranial osteopath and had a few treatments but kept being told it was because they are encouraged to sleep on their backs now and time will sort it out.

He's now 12 months old and his whole shape is changing as is his face, they take a while to grow into their skulls & I think these helmets are preying on scared vulnerable mothers as it is such a common thing now it is obviously a massive money maker. There Rant over Angry

Bubu · 18/05/2006 12:20

My son has this and I'm really worried about it hence being on here looking for threads about it. Does it definately sort itself out then? My health visiter said not to worry as his hair will cover it!!! I was mad at her because he's a boy and will hopefully have short hair (at least when I'm in charge) and you will still be able to see it.

zippitippitoes · 18/05/2006 12:22

dgs was born with a flat head on one side..he is now two and it is still flat, not as bad but quite distinctively flat

Original poster
jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 13:38

of course she wants it becky, she was asking me for advice. I wouldnt stick my ore in without her say so.

OP posts:
sunandmoon · 18/05/2006 14:33

Same here, our DD (10 months old), was only sleeping on the right side of head until she was about 7 monts... I didn't noticed it until she was 2 months old when relative pointed it out to me, and then the HV. She is followed by a paeditrician who is measuring her head once a month. She told me to not worry because her head is fine just looking a bit flat on one side. She didn't suggest the helmet. DD has now lots of curly red hair and big blue eyes so nobody really notice it anymore...Smile

sunandmoon · 18/05/2006 14:35

Same here, our DD (10 months old), was only sleeping on the right side of head until she was about 7 monts... I didn't noticed it until she was 2 months old when relative pointed it out to me, and then the HV. She is followed by a paeditrician who is measuring her head once a month. She told me to not worry because her head is fine just looking a bit flat on one side. She didn't suggest the helmet. DD has now lots of curly red hair and big blue eyes so nobody really notice it anymore...Smile

sunandmoon · 18/05/2006 14:35

Same here, our DD (10 months old), was only sleeping on the right side of head until she was about 7 monts... I didn't noticed it until she was 2 months old when relative pointed it out to me, and then the HV. She is followed by a paeditrician who is measuring her head once a month. She told me to not worry because her head is fine just looking a bit flat on one side. She didn't suggest the helmet. DD has now lots of curly red hair and big blue eyes so nobody really notice it anymore...Smile

beckybrastraps · 18/05/2006 14:40

That's fine jellyjelly. I wasn't having a go. I have just been given lots of information I haven't asked for by people who mean well but can't seem to accept that it isn't a concern for me. And as I said, having someone referring to my dd's "deformity" was extremely upsetting.

Original poster
jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 14:43

i bet it was, she asks me lots of things and i said a flat head can be plagio and she asked if i could get info. The docs did confirm it was plagio but they arent worried at all. I know that people can offer info when you least want it so i know where you are coming from.

OP posts:
beckybrastraps · 18/05/2006 14:47
Smile

Sorry - I tend to leap down people's throats about it now. Mostly because I still regret not slapping that stupid woman.

pinkmagic1 · 18/05/2006 14:47

My Ds, almost 2 has a largish flat patch at the back. I was told by the health visitor when I first noticed it at around 8 weeks that it would right itself but it never has. His hair covers it well and you would be hard pushed to notice it unless you felt it, so as it wasn't bothering him in any way we have just left it.

faketan · 19/05/2006 07:33

both my sons have had this and they are fine. one the hair grows you cannot notice it at all.

my HV kept mentioning it to me on visits as if i should be worried about it. honestly, i find it ridiculous.

faketan · 19/05/2006 07:33

both my sons have had this and they are fine. one the hair grows you cannot notice it at all.

my HV kept mentioning it to me on visits as if i should be worried about it. honestly, i find it ridiculous.

meysey · 19/05/2006 11:35

I can see both sides of what you are all saying and as the friend of someone whose kid had this all I can say is make sure you do your homework before trusting a medic - whether that is one who says all will be fine, or one who says take some action.

My friend was told not to worry about it, but her kid is now school age and has a very lopsided head at the back, and I think the kid will be very self-conscious about this all its life. Hair doesn't always hide it as the hair will hang funnily if the head shape is extreme.

megglevache · 19/05/2006 11:39

Ds had this. I didn't do anything about it other than just keep an eye on it. Having looked at various photos on the net it appears ds's seemed worse than many of the examples I have seen- however it has completely sorted itself out now. He is nearly 2.

Sorru if this has been said already - I'm just dashing out of the door and not able to read all of the threads! Aren't there more cases of this as babies now sleep on their sides/back?

vitomum · 19/05/2006 11:51

my cousin's ds had this and in his case it was linked to torticollis - a shortening of muscles on one side of his neck. Because taht was the cause he DID need treatment for the neck issue as that could have led to other problems. I think the key thing to do when a flat patch is identified is to establish the cause as sleeping positions do not explain the cause in every case and some underpinning problmes may require treatment for non cosmetic reasons. In terms of your friend jelly if the doctors have confirmed it is down to sleeping positions then it may be a purely cosmetic issue then and as others have said one that will not lead to big issues.

newtoallthis · 19/05/2006 13:44

My son was born ventous and for the first few weeks of his life only slept with his head on one side. As his wound healed he had got into the habit of doing this so after several months his head started to mishapen on one side.

The Doctor said not to worry and suggested sleeping im on his stomach for nap times which we did not want to do since this is againsts SIDS guidelines. It got to the point when he was around three months old that his left ear was starting to move forward and his forehead was bulging. Friends commented on how one eye was slightly bigger than the other.

We consulted a cranial osteopath (cynically) having been recommened one by a friend - the London Children's Osteopathic centre. It was marvellous and I have to say for the first time after his session we put him to sleep as ususal on his back and he slept with his head on the other side. After around 7 sessions we stopped going and now his head is almost back to normal. He is 13 months old and you really can't tell that he ever had a flat head.

Hope this helps

Thanks

3catstoo · 19/05/2006 13:53

My dd has this. I started a thread a couple of weeks ago.

dd is 2 which is too late for treatment but we were advised by the hospital that it wouldn't make much difference anyway. dd's head is flatter than in Iotas link picture. Her hair covers it mostly but she still looks like she has a big head because of the protruding top bit.

Ideally children need to be under 1 yr to receive treatment.
If we had known earlier I don't think we would have used a helmet anyway.

garbo · 20/05/2006 18:04

There's lots of info about plagio on groups.msn.com/PlagioUK. It was plagio awareness week recently and the founder of the website took a petition of about 8,000 names to Downing St. They want to make sure health visitors, midwives etc give parents the correct info to prevent it. Too late for those of us with flatheaded babies but hope for the future. The Swedes have special pillows from birth to prevent it. They hardly ever have plagio now apparently.

cheeseypeas · 21/05/2006 10:15

My baby had a very flat area on one side of his head and it did worry me. I would try and lay him on the rounded side of his head or if put him in his gym, would put his toys somewhere that would enchourage him not to rest on the flat headed side.

As soon as he was on his belly allot and moving around it gradually fixed itself and is fine now having totally fixed itself.