DS's head seems mis-shapen, is this normal?

[kekouan]

My 6 week old DS always lies with his head to the right (never really looks to the left) and because of this his head is starting to look really lopsided. Is this normal?

Do I need to worry about this, or is it perfectly normal? I don't want to look a fool at the doctors asking daft questions.

Now would be a good time to try repositioning him so that he spends time also looking to the left. My DD used to lie to one side and her head got very misshapen. It has 95% rounded out now she is up and about all the time(she is 15 months) but was quite a worry for a while...if you catch it now and try to get him to face both ways equally you will save a lot of worry about a misshapen head!! If you do a search for "plagiocephaly" and "repositioning" you will find loads of tips on how to encourage the baby to face both ways. If you find he is UNABLE to easy turn his head to the left, he may have tight neck muscles (torticollis) in which case a physio would be able to help.

oops I meant "easily" turn his head

Oh thank you. Agg, yes, I have tried turning his head to the left and he seems really reluctant. I've never seen him turn his head all the way to the left and i'm not sure that he can.

agg...

I would take him to your GP and explain this, they will be able to refer him to a physio who will give you exercises. Has he had his 6 week check yet? It's something you could mention then, definitely.

6 week check is next Wednesday. Gaaa, really worried about this now.. His face is slightly assymetrical and worrying that he has torticollis now.

Been telling my partner that the flat spot on the back of his head is nothing to worry about, and it'll sort itself out in time, really thought that was the case.

Thank you for the replies though - my GP is very good so hopefully she'll be able to reassure me and make a referral. aggg!!!

Ah don't worry at all - even if it IS torticollis that is easily fixed with exercises. It's very good that you have caught this so early as you will be able to nip it in the bud. Heads are very soft at 6 weeks and it will easily even out!

Oh good... phew.
Yes, he's very uneven already, but hopefully it's very sortable.

Thank you for all your help!!

Glad to help! It is sortable until they are about 18 months and the fontanelles close up making the head less malleable - before 6 months the head is very easily moulded and will easily round out again.

I don't want to frighten you, but my ds ended up wearing a helmet to reshape his head, after having torticollis from birth. You need to start repositioning your DS NOW. Have a look at this website groups.msn.com/PlagioUK it has some very good advice, but don't be too spooked by the helmets, if you work hard at the repositioning now, you shouldn't need one.

He could develop plagiocephaly.

It is treatable.

It is not cosmetic.

He needs his assymetry measured and someone to lok at him who know what he/she is doing.

Torticullis is treatable. Not as scary as it sounds but you do need to do the exercises and you do need to be committed to doing them.

My DD wore a helmet and her assymetry went from 1.7cm to 0.3cm in 3 months. The doctor we say on Harley Street was amazed how well she did as she didn't get the helmet until 10 months as the NHS kept saying there was nothing wrong with her.

saw

We had a very similar experience with the NHS, I can't believe how many times people in the NHS said thaings like "never mind it won't show when his hair grows" etc. My DS wore a helmet for 2 x 12 week period between 6 months and about a year and now at 3 years, you would never know there was anything wrong.

It is ironic that it was my HV that DX my DD and she hadn't done anything about it with her son as she couldn't afford to go private. At the time he was about 10 and was having eye problems.

My DD was exactly the same, she would only look to the right and sleep to the right- she had a torticollis which resulted in Physiotherapy. Her head was really mis-shapen. Don't worry too much, my DD is fine now. It was the birth that caused it.

Shaniece - did she have treatment?

I would suggest seeing a cranial osteopath. DS couldn't move his head to the left when born, but moved it both ways after 1 session with the CO (although I did take him within a week of being born).

My friends dd had a flat head on one side, she went to see a CO and after a few sessions (she was a few months old) her head was a 'normal' shape.

NAB - she only had Phsyio I don't think the helmets were around when she was born. No other treatment at all.

Is her head rounded now?

Its not 100% tbh - lucky she's got hair and a female . If my DD looks in the mirror her face doesn't quite look symmetrical. She is 5 now.

You see, comments like that are what makes people think it is a cosmetic problem. Can hide with hair, etc.

The problems can come if the child needs glasses and the ears aren't symmetrical so it makes it hard to get ones to fit. Children also have more ear problems and head aches.

Not wishing to worry or annoy anyone but I do get frustrated when people try and dismiss the consequences of not having it properly dx and treated.

NAB3 - in total agreement (but then I would be!!)

kekouan - you really need to ask your GP to refer your DS for physiotherapy. Tell him/her you are worried that it is torticollis and you want him to see a paediatric physiotherapist. It may not be tort - may just be neck stiffness - but both need to be sorted out to stop the head deformation from getting any worse. Have a look too at the repositioning tips on Plagio UK. Repo techniques will help your DS gradually regain a normal head shape as it grows. It is hard work - a 24 hour job - but if you do it rigorously and well, he has every chance of a perfect head in the future.

But ears are very rarely symetrical! Unless they are really very squiffy then any good optician can bend the arms of your glasses so they fit just fine. My ds had a very squiffy head at birth - quite banana like (in fact he was a bit squished all down one side) and it took quite a while for it to even out. Now at eight when he washes his hair you can see some asymetry, but really I am the only one that sees it. We didn't do anything special with him. Not that you shouldn't talk about your concerns with your GP, as I am sure each case is different.

Exactly.

Like it will sort itself out when the baby sits up. What do you do if the baby sits late? What are you going to do if it doesn't sort itself out? You only have a realtively short window of opportunity to try and correct it.