Going mental.........

After some disagreements over whether Noah needed a helmet I eventually gave in. John and I noticed around 3 months that his head was flatter on one side. Our pediatrician said it was normal and instructed us to wedge his head and alternate sides for the next few months. It was not so easy since Noah had a tendency to immediately shift on his back.

It turns out that Noah has something called, plagiocephaly, 'a condition characterized by an asymmetrical distortion (flattening of one side) of the skull. It is a common finding at birth and may be the result of a restrictive intrauterine environment. If there is premature union of skull bones, this is more properly called craniosynostosis.'

He has to wear the helmet 23 hours a day. During the 1 hour he is not required to have it on we need to wipe down the foam lining with alcohol and give him a bath. His hair tends to wreak of alcohol combined with his sweat.

I resisted at first, knowing that the helment brings more attention to Noah. Living in such a big city with hundreds of kids I thought I would see other babies though to this day I have not. People stare a little longer than they should, kids point and there is an occassional curious person who does ask what the helmet is for. I realize though that it makes him look cuter!
Two more months to go!