Flat Head - One Side - GP Referral

[lulaloops]

Hi all,

After a bit of advice really. I know its very common, especially in good sleepers for one side of the back of a babies head to go a bit flat. This is the case with our 3 month old.

For a good 3 - 4 weeks now, he has fallen asleep around 7.30/8pm and sleeps through until anywhere between 3.30 and 6! So some nights sleeping through the night. He has short naps throughout the day, 20-30minutes a time at tops.
Since we brought him home from hospital he has always preferred to sleep to the right, think we have got 2 photos where he is asleep to the left, both of which in hospital. We didn't click until last week when we noticed the right side of his head is a lot flatter than the left.
So since then we have been making the most of the active hours, making sure he looks both ways keeping those neck muscles in order, tummy time, off the playmat and bouncer more. However, he is not a baby that likes to be held for hours on end - I know blessing in disguise! Being only 3m, toys dont entertain him for long and still likes sleeping in his bouncer.

We made the mistake of googling it,I know, big mistake, so now my brain is going at crazy speed, thinking all sorts, thinking the worst, when we know full well the reasons behind it make perfect sense and itll 'pop' back out when hes more active and sitting up etc. We have googled pictures and looks very similar to that of Plagiocephaly.

Anyway, he had his 3m injections today, so I asked the nurse whilst I was there, and she had a look and seemed quite fine about it - was this an act? She has booked me to see a GP on Wednesday morning just to make sure.

I'm writing to ask.... should I be worried?? He is fine in himself, ears aligned, no protruding forehead, developing as normal, holding head up, looking both ways - we even sit him sideways so he has to turn the opposite side to look at something etc. Sometimes it looks worse than others and is only realllllyyy noticeable from a birds eye view. We don't want to interfere with his sleep but have tried turning his head during naptime in the day as still has his naps downstairs but he always turns it back! His comfort is more important and don't want to mess where don't need to!

Am I making a mountain out of a molehill???

Any advice/feedback would be great.

Thanks

Hi Lula

My DS is a little younger than yours and also prefers 1 side to the other. That side of his head is also flatter.

Ive mentioned it to my HV and she wasnt worried - said just to fold up a blanket and put it under his shoulder when on his baby gym, to encourage him to move his head to the middle/other side

I also mentioned it to the GP at his 8 wk check and she said it was fine - and, like you said, that it will correct itself when he's older

My daughter is 8 months and we were exactly the same as you, her flat head was at the back as she rarely slept on her side. At 6 months when she started to sit unaided and crawl it started to "round" off and I was only saying to hubby last night that her head isn't flat at all anymore, you would never know! Try not to worry, and stop googling! I gave myself a fright for nearly 3 months looking at those pictures of helmets online!

Thanks ladies.... I know its alot more common than you think, but you can't help but worry that yours may be the different one!

Oh Pandapickle100, its the worst isnt it, google is a demon for some things, yes those helmets do worry me. I know I have read alot of people saying that its more for cosmetic reasons, or if its a very severe case of flathead - aka mis aligned ears / protruding forehead etc and ours has none of that, just the fact he prefers lying on one side to sleep! We all have our comfort position, this is his! Think because the nurse has refered me to GP I'm thinking all sorts. I know deep down it is literally common sense and the fact babies skulls are soft, prefers one side, and sleeps 10-12 hrs a night on it, it will flatten slightly, and round out when hes up more! You can't help but panic!

Oh LittleMiss77 we try the blanket when hes awake, in his bouncer or playmat but he finds a way of shifting to the side slightly so can still look at that way! cheeky so and so really!

What's worse, Hubby is the worrier and hypochondriac at the best of times but he is calming me down at moment!
Just need the GP to say its fine as well and we'll be ok, just that reassurance! I'm questioning my parenting skills & all sorts! Are we doing enough outside the bouncer etc.... but we cant force him to sit up and play all the time, when he doesn't want to!

xx

Hi lula. One of my twins had this (it's common in the first born twin as they get pushed down so far in the pelvis that the skull presses against the pelvic bone and gets a bit squashed on one side). My HV referred him to paediatric physio who recommended a load of exercises and positions to put him in. He had a stiff neck on one side so we had to do lots of exercises that involved him moving his head to the side. I sat cheek to cheek with him, encouraging him to move his head to the stiff side as well as always putting toys on the side we wanted him to turn to. When he was sleeping in the pram or Moses basket we used a rolled up muslin to gently encourage him to move his head so it wasn't lying on the flat side. We were also recommended to carry him in a sling as much as possible to take the pressure off his head - he slept really well in the sling. I thin that was probably the thing he that hepled most as it meant he was only lying on his head at night in the Moses basket. It also meant I had my hands free to deal with the other twin!

Like you, I googled and thought the worst (imagining he'd need a skull cap and all sorts). However, after about three months or so of exercises and repositioning his head, it started to improve and now it's totally normal (he's 20 months now).

It's nothing you have done wrong, a lot of children have this. A bit of effort now with the exercises and repositioning his head using a muslin and it'll most likely sort itself out. I was surprised how quickly it started to change once we started the exercises - at this age they're still squishy and things change quickly. Good luck!

Thanks Tftpoo for that... we do try the odd things, we thought it may have been stiff neck, so have changed the shoulder we put him on, when hes on playmat or changing mat try to get him to turn opposite way etc but don't think its too stiff... that seems all ok.
Just when hes asleep! We have tried the whole muslin/blanket rolled up when in bouncer but he always finds a way of pushing it away or moving slightly so can sleep the he wants! We have noticed a couple of times in pram and on monitor when sleeping at night he does turn the opposite way, for a very short amount of time! then rolls back! We have made the mistake of google and finding things to help but he finds a way of cheekily stopping it!
We have noticed a difference in his neck since we started last week but think its more time will tell, once he's able to hold it up for longer and sitting up etc.
Will see what GP says! xx

dc had a very loopy head. very flat on one side.
we did lot's of tummy time, basically every time we put baby on the mat to play, never used bouncers. at 5 months they started to turn in bed and would sleep on their tummy.
head was still wonky around 18m but now (nearly 9y) you can only notice if you know!

infant physio might be a way of strengthening muscles so that the other side of head is used more.

A few things you can do:

• get doctor to check it's just his neck. If it's tight on one side that will naturally be pulling head to one side. They can help loosen the muscles with massage treatment

• get doctor to measure the difference on each side, a small amount will adjust, over a cm they may look at some form of treatment, due to later consequences as mentioned like jaw alignment

• get him a baby sheepskin rug. Takes pressure off his head. Try and let him nap/ play on that during the day. Get one for pram also to do the same if he spends any length of time in there

• rotate how you put him to bed. Most babies turn facing outwards from cot rather than the wall. So if you put his head at different end he should naturally try and face outwards as that's where he sees more.

• at night move him so his head goes on both sides. If he's asleep at 8pm, by 10pm try and turn his head the other side if possible whilst he's asleep

• use a baby sling more. They take the pressure off head as being held upright, similar to when babies start sitting

• don't use a car seat longer than car trip, and try not to use a bouncy chair if possible

My son had the exact same problem. His head was always at one side constantly. I mentioned this to the doctor and he said to try and let him sleep in different ways but the main thing he mentioned was tummy time. I had to put my son on his tummy for 5-15 mins per day multiple times per day (not when he's sleeping) only when awake. Whenever I saw him sleeping on his one side I'd try and move him but he'd always go back into this position. His head looked all flat. The tummy time worked though.

Babies bones are super soft in their skull so it can go flat pretty easily. I remember my son would sometimes sleep with his head pressed into the crib bar and there would actually be a sunken mark in his head where the bar was and it scared me half to death! It went away in a few hours though.

Try tummy time through out the day.