Fwd: Omaha.com Story from Auntie

[Guest guest]

My aunt found this article in her local paper in Omaha, Nebraska. She took

exception to the cosmetic part and sent in a reply. She's a wonderful aunt!!

Marci

Auntie has sent you a message:

Hope you can get this. I''m so pleased the public is finally being educated.

---------- Begin Omaha.com Story ----------

Published Mar 4 2002 12:55:00:000PM

Reshaping a child's future

<B>BY LISA PRUE</B>

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Amy Sather misses the sweet smell and silky-soft feel of her 10-month-old son's

head.

Jack, an easygoing boy with big, brown eyes, has worn a white, plastic helmet

nearly 24 hours a day for five months.

To his mother, it's a small price to pay to correct a medical condition that

flattened Jack's head on the right side.

Until 10 years ago, children with severely misshapen heads were sent into

surgery. Today's treatment - using a helmet or a " molding band " to correct the

problem - is much less invasive.

Children's Hospital in Omaha was one of the first nationwide to open a

specialized helmet clinic, according to the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial

Association. Since the clinic opened in 1990, it has treated more than 1,000

children, including Jack, for misshapen heads.

The condition - called deformational plagiocephaly - won't physically harm a

child, said Dr. Bruneteau, the clinic's medical director. But it is a

cosmetic concern for<B> </B>some parents.

" What I tell parents is the helmet is not going to make your child smarter, but

it is going to help your son's football helmet fit better or your daughter's

glasses rest more evenly on her face, " he said.

The condition most commonly occurs when a baby drops too soon - usually several

weeks before delivery - into the lower region of the mother's womb.

The baby's head becomes lodged in the mother's pelvis, causing part of its soft

skull to flatten, said Dr. Brad Schaefer, a physician at the helmet clinic.

Misaligned ears and cheekbones and a bulging forehead on one side may result.

Some cases of misshapen heads have been attributed to efforts to prevent SIDS by

placing sleeping babies on their backs, Schaefer said.

But because deformational plagiocephaly occurs in the womb, he said, placing

babies on their backs won't directly cause irregular heads. Placing a baby in

the same position every night could, however, accentuate the flat spot on his or

her head.

Kids with plagiocephaly often end up with tightened neck muscles on one side,

which can aggravate the condition.

That was the case with Jack, whose head was mildly flattened on the right back

side. His head became even more flattened by the time he was 4 months old.

" His whole head had shifted, " Sather said. " Even one ear was pushed more forward

than the other. "

Sather took her son to the helmet clinic last August on her pediatrician's

recommendation. Since Jack began wearing the helmet in September, his condition

has improved dramatically.

" They told us up front that Jack's head wasn't going to be a perfect oval

shape, " Sather said. " But the goal was to make it as good as it could be. "

Jack's ears now align with each other. The flat spot on the back of his head has

diminished significantly.

The way the helmet works is simple, Bruneteau said.

The helmet has a bubble on the side where the head is flattened, allowing room

for growth. It's tight-fitting everywhere else.

The child's brain does the rest of the work. It grows so fast during the first

year of life that it rounds out the flat side of the skull.

The child must wear the helmet for at least four months, almost 24 hours a day.

After his first birthday, the helmet will no longer work because brain growth

starts to slow down.

While Sather is thankful a helmet was all Jack needed, it's been a bit trying

for her. Just seeing her baby wearing the helmet was hard.

" To me (the helmet) makes it look worse than it actually is. It looks like he's

had a head injury. "

Sather said it helped to be able to take the helmet off, if only for a

half-hour, in the beginning.

" That helped me emotionally to see him as a normal little baby, " said Sather,

who added that she notices more babies wearing helmets.

She can't wait until Thursday, when Jack's helmet comes off for good.CM+NT March

7. -NT

Then mom can kiss and caress his head - helmet free - all she wants.

[Guest guest]

Very good article! HUGS,

[Guest guest]

Marci:

Not bad, of course I didn't like the cosmetic part either or this:

>After his first birthday, the helmet will no longer work because

brain growth

starts to slow down.<

We all know that's not true, but perhaps they were talking about a

different type of helmet, more a locally made helmet?

It's nice to see these articles are being printed to educate parents!

Thanks for sharing.

Debbie Abby's mom DOCGrad

MI

[Guest guest]

Marci,

Other than the 'cosmetic' part, it really was a well written and

informative article. Thanks Auntie for passing that along!!

Niki

Kaylie & Danny (STAR grads)

Phila., PA

> My aunt found this article in her local paper in Omaha, Nebraska.

She took exception to the cosmetic part and sent in a reply. She's a

wonderful aunt!!

>

> Marci

>

> Auntie has sent you a message:

>

> Hope you can get this. I''m so pleased the public is finally being

educated.

>

> ---------- Begin Omaha.com Story ----------

>

> Published Mar 4 2002 12:55:00:000PM

>

> Reshaping a child's future

>

> <B>BY LISA PRUE</B>

> WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

>

>

> Amy Sather misses the sweet smell and silky-soft feel of her 10-

month-old son's head.

>

> Jack, an easygoing boy with big, brown eyes, has worn a white,

plastic helmet nearly 24 hours a day for five months.

>

> To his mother, it's a small price to pay to correct a medical

condition that flattened Jack's head on the right side.

>

> Until 10 years ago, children with severely misshapen heads were

sent into surgery. Today's treatment - using a helmet or a " molding

band " to correct the problem - is much less invasive.

>

> Children's Hospital in Omaha was one of the first nationwide to

open a specialized helmet clinic, according to the American Cleft

Palate-Craniofacial Association. Since the clinic opened in 1990, it

has treated more than 1,000 children, including Jack, for misshapen

heads.

>

> The condition - called deformational plagiocephaly - won't

physically harm a child, said Dr. Bruneteau, the clinic's

medical director. But it is a cosmetic concern for<B> </B>some

parents.

>

> " What I tell parents is the helmet is not going to make your child

smarter, but it is going to help your son's football helmet fit

better or your daughter's glasses rest more evenly on her face, " he

said.

>

> The condition most commonly occurs when a baby drops too soon -

usually several weeks before delivery - into the lower region of the

mother's womb.

>

> The baby's head becomes lodged in the mother's pelvis, causing part

of its soft skull to flatten, said Dr. Brad Schaefer, a physician at

the helmet clinic. Misaligned ears and cheekbones and a bulging

forehead on one side may result.

>

> Some cases of misshapen heads have been attributed to efforts to

prevent SIDS by placing sleeping babies on their backs, Schaefer

said.

>

> But because deformational plagiocephaly occurs in the womb, he

said, placing babies on their backs won't directly cause irregular

heads. Placing a baby in the same position every night could,

however, accentuate the flat spot on his or her head.

>

> Kids with plagiocephaly often end up with tightened neck muscles on

one side, which can aggravate the condition.

>

> That was the case with Jack, whose head was mildly flattened on the

right back side. His head became even more flattened by the time he

was 4 months old.

>

> " His whole head had shifted, " Sather said. " Even one ear was pushed

more forward than the other. "

>

> Sather took her son to the helmet clinic last August on her

pediatrician's recommendation. Since Jack began wearing the helmet in

September, his condition has improved dramatically.

>

> " They told us up front that Jack's head wasn't going to be a

perfect oval shape, " Sather said. " But the goal was to make it as

good as it could be. "

>

> Jack's ears now align with each other. The flat spot on the back of

his head has diminished significantly.

>

> The way the helmet works is simple, Bruneteau said.

>

> The helmet has a bubble on the side where the head is flattened,

allowing room for growth. It's tight-fitting everywhere else.

>

> The child's brain does the rest of the work. It grows so fast

during the first year of life that it rounds out the flat side of the

skull.

>

> The child must wear the helmet for at least four months, almost 24

hours a day. After his first birthday, the helmet will no longer work

because brain growth starts to slow down.

>

> While Sather is thankful a helmet was all Jack needed, it's been a

bit trying for her. Just seeing her baby wearing the helmet was hard.

>

> " To me (the helmet) makes it look worse than it actually is. It

looks like he's had a head injury. "

>

> Sather said it helped to be able to take the helmet off, if only

for a half-hour, in the beginning.

>

> " That helped me emotionally to see him as a normal little baby, "

said Sather, who added that she notices more babies wearing helmets.

>

> She can't wait until Thursday, when Jack's helmet comes off for

good.CM+NT March 7. -NT

>

> Then mom can kiss and caress his head - helmet free - all she wants.