Part-time banding? Early banding? Anyone NOT banding?

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so

many of the posts are about helmets/bands. It is great to read

about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone

has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and what

sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth?

My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We

are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week. We

have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning for

four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the

repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From the

front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see

slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her

forehead has evened out nicely with the repo.

My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with growth,

and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our 4

month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a cranio facial

specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her in

a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to

skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin troubles,

sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my

daughter.

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly

early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the band.

Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only? (I

am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day

holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she does

not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who

chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your

child has grown.

Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is much

appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little

ones. Tracey

[Guest guest]

Hi Tracey, I just sent you an email, but I will do a better reply

and email you again when I get home from the amusement park this

evening.

Becky

>

> Hi All,

> I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so

> many of the posts are about helmets/bands. It is great to read

> about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone

> has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and

what

> sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth?

>

> My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We

> are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week.

We

> have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning

for

> four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the

> repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From

the

> front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see

> slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her

> forehead has evened out nicely with the repo.

>

> My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with

growth,

> and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our

4

> month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a cranio facial

> specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her

in

> a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to

> skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin

troubles,

> sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my

> daughter.

>

> I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly

> early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the

band.

> Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only?

(I

> am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day

> holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she

does

> not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who

> chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your

> child has grown.

>

> Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is

much

> appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little

> ones. Tracey

>

[Guest guest]

Tracey,

Becky will give you a better answer,

but I’ll give you my two cents anyway. My son is just 5 months old, and I

talked to the pedi a couple of weeks ago. The conventional wisdom seems to be reposition

the baby until about 5 or 6 months and if you are seeing enough improvement

that even if it wouldn’t get better, her head looks fine, then go ahead

and continue to reposition. If, at 5 or 6 months, you do not see enough

improvement and you still do not like the shape of your baby’s head, then

you should strongly consider banding.

My has been repositioned for

almost two weeks now, we have about a week and a half until we go back to

reevaluate the situation. I have seen a difference, but not as much as I’d

like. I have been unable to get him to sleep on the other side of his head due

to torticollis. The good news is last night he slept on the correct side of his

head most of the night! The tort has gotten better because we have worked with

it! So, along with repo in bed, I have put him on his tummy A LOT and bought a

Bumbo seat which sits the younger baby up as soon as they are able to hold their

head up. I am very hopeful that we won’t have to band. I believe that in

order to be successful, you have to keep the baby off of his/her head as much

as possible. Becky has some really good ideas, and at 3.5 months, you should

see some good results!

Good luck, you seem to be on top of

everything and I am sure your baby will come out of this with a perfect head J

Theresa

Part-time

banding? Early banding? Anyone NOT banding?

Hi All,

I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so

many of the posts are about helmets/bands. It is great to read

about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone

has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and what

sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth?

My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We

are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week. We

have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning for

four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the

repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From the

front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see

slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her

forehead has evened out nicely with the repo.

My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with growth,

and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our 4

month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a cranio facial

specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her in

a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to

skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin troubles,

sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my

daughter.

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly

early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the band.

Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only? (I

am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day

holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she does

not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who

chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your

child has grown.

Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is much

appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little

ones. Tracey

[Guest guest]

Hi Tracey, We decided not to band our son because we were told he had very mild plagio. Me, my husband and our families really feel he has improved with repositioning and CST (craniosacral therapy). We talked about it and decided to wait until he was 9 months old to pursue a helmet if he needed one. The reasoning behind that decision was that babies grow and change so much the first year-why not give him a chance to improve? Our biggest concern with that decision is the longer we wait the longer he will need to be in a helmet-most likely. He is now 7 months old and we are still working on his head. I often think about the fact that we would be done with the helmet if we would have gone with it at 4 months. Some things to think about: 1. the measurements-you may want to post the numbers 2. What would be the worst that could happen if you waited and the best? 3. Try talking to a chiropractor or a cranial sacral therapist 4. keep in mind who is telling you that she still needs the band-the person selling it! 5. If you feel comfortable post her pictures on the plagio site to get some opinions(honest opinions!) Hope this helps and Good Luck, Tari traceyanded <balsdon2005@...> wrote: Hi All, I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so many of the posts are about

helmets/bands. It is great to read about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and what sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth? My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week. We have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning for four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From the front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her forehead has evened out nicely with the repo. My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with growth, and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our 4 month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a

cranio facial specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her in a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin troubles, sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my daughter. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the band. Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only? (I am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she does not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your child has grown. Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is much appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little ones.

Tracey

[Guest guest]

Hello and welcome. I wanted to post back to you to tell you a

couple of things. My Daughter wasn't banded as young as yours, but

she was banded at 7mo,1wk and got wonderful correction after wearing

the band for just 11 weeks. You can see her progress pics in the

photo section under before and after/Hanger Band/ V.

As far as the Doctors.... A LOT of people on here (including me)

were told by their Drs that their baby's head would " round out on

its own " , but this is something that is often not the case and there

is no guarantee that there will be any correction as the baby's head

grows. With continued repositioning efforts, it's likely that you

will see more improvment and hopefully some of the parents of

repositioned babies will chime in on that. However, once the baby

hits 6 months old, repositioning is not very effective, since the

growth rate significantly slows down at that point.

It seems to me that you are very hesitant to band her unless it is

absolutely neccessary. We all understand that it can be a very

difficult decision to make, so you really do need to do some soul

searching. You will need to really think about whether or not you

are happy with how her head looks (sounds like your cut off is 5

months). If the answer at that point is not 100% yes, then you

should pursue banding her. Remember, that (without a band) there is

no guarantee that her head would improve over time. You wouldn't

want to look back, years later and regret your decision. Honestly,

banding is usually worse on the parents, as the babies tend to adapt

rather quickly. The casting (from what I have heard) is over before

you know it and many babies never even have any realy skin issues,

other than red/pink spots which often mean that an adjustment is

needed. My Daughter never had any problems with her band.

You made a comment about Cranial tech... inferring that they

would " of course " recommend a band for her, even though you saw some

improvement. Cranial Tech is the " leader " in cranial banding and,

to the best of my knowledge, they have NEVER recommended a band for

a baby whom they did not think it would benefit. They HAVE turned

babies away before, indicating that the baby was mild enough that

they were in the " normal range " and would not benefit from the

band. So, please don't think that Cranial Tech would recommend a

Band just to " sell " it to you.

As far as wearing the band.... the bands should be worn for

approximately 23 hours a day, every day, until the

baby " graduates " . In order to acheive maximum correction, you need

to adhere as closely to that as possible. And again... with most

babies, they adapt so well that some are actually " bothered " when

the band is NOT on their head. It almost becomes like a part of

them.

You can go to OlderPlag/ and

talk to some other parents who did not band their children. That

may help with your decision too.

Good luck with your decision and keep us updated.

Jen

(24 mo), tort resolved, Hanger Band Grad

(4.5 years)

>

> Hi All,

> I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so

> many of the posts are about helmets/bands. It is great to read

> about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone

> has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and

what

> sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth?

>

> My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We

> are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week.

We

> have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning

for

> four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the

> repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From

the

> front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see

> slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her

> forehead has evened out nicely with the repo.

>

> My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with

growth,

> and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our

4

> month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a cranio facial

> specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her

in

> a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to

> skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin

troubles,

> sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my

> daughter.

>

> I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly

> early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the

band.

> Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only?

(I

> am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day

> holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she

does

> not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who

> chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your

> child has grown.

>

> Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is

much

> appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little

> ones. Tracey

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Tracey,

I just figured out what SAHM was. I think I was single too long

because I thought it was " single asian hispanic male " but it never

made sense :-) Does that make me a WM (working mom)?

We banded right at 5 mo. We didn't realize her head (brachy) was

really a problem until our daughters 4 mo check when we got referred

to a specialist. When we asked at the 2 mo check we heard " it will fix

itself " , but instead got worse. (our ped didn't tell us anything about

repo)

I think its fine to wait until 5 mo, but take good photos now and

again in a few weeks so you can evaluate your progress. There is a

folder of repo graduates in the photo area - maybe your dd will be

lucky enough to be one of them.

Good luck!

-christine

mom to sydney / 7.5 mo/ starband 5-3106

>

> Hi All,

> I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so

> many of the posts are about helmets/bands. It is great to read

> about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone

> has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and what

> sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth?

>

> My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We

> are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week. We

> have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning for

> four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the

> repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From the

> front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see

> slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her

> forehead has evened out nicely with the repo.

>

> My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with growth,

> and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our 4

> month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a cranio facial

> specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her in

> a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to

> skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin troubles,

> sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my

> daughter.

>

> I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly

> early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the band.

> Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only? (I

> am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day

> holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she does

> not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who

> chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your

> child has grown.

>

> Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is much

> appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little

> ones. Tracey

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Tracey,

I wanted to add something about part-time banding... I think there may

be some passive helmets that you can wear part time, but most of the

active bands (DOC, Star and Hanger) should be worn 23 hrs a day (or

close to that). I think it is easier for the baby to adjust to than

part time would be. They need to adjust their body temp when they

start wearing the band, that is why they sweat a lot at first. the

adjustment period (where they wear it part time) is harder than

fulltime because the baby doesn't usually like you taking it off and

on, but once it is on they don't care. Also you want to catch as much

growth as possible so you don't have to wear it as long. I.E. 2 mo

fulltime might be 4 mo part time to get the same results.

In any case, good luck with your repo, and maybe you can avoid the

band entirely.

-christine

> Hi All,

> I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so

> many of the posts are about helmets/bands. It is great to read

> about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone

> has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and what

> sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth?

>

> My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We

> are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week. We

> have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning for

> four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the

> repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From the

> front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see

> slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her

> forehead has evened out nicely with the repo.

>

> My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with growth,

> and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our 4

> month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a cranio facial

> specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her in

> a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to

> skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin troubles,

> sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my

> daughter.

>

> I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly

> early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the band.

> Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only? (I

> am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day

> holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she does

> not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who

> chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your

> child has grown.

>

> Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is much

> appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little

> ones. Tracey

>

[Guest guest]

I see that you've received some responses but I wanted to mention

that part time banding will not work as well. Your baby is growing

24 hours per day and you'll need the holding points to contact as

much as possible to encourage growth in the correct (flat) area.

Natasha

>

> Hi All,

> I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so

> many of the posts are about helmets/bands. It is great to read

> about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone

> has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and

what

> sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth?

>

> My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We

> are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week.

We

> have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning

for

> four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the

> repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From

the

> front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see

> slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her

> forehead has evened out nicely with the repo.

>

> My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with

growth,

> and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our

4

> month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a cranio facial

> specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her

in

> a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to

> skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin

troubles,

> sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my

> daughter.

>

> I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly

> early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the

band.

> Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only?

(I

> am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day

> holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she

does

> not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who

> chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your

> child has grown.

>

> Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is

much

> appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little

> ones. Tracey

>

[Guest guest]

Just wanted to add that we decided not to band our daughter and have

been repositioning for about 4 months. I have seen a complete

change. She has mild plagio and when we went to the cranio tech they

told us to go home at her 4 month bday and continue repositioning.

It really is your choice. I think you should give it a little while.

Banding doesn't always work to completely round the head either but

it is alot easier on you. I am a SAHM too and I found that it took a

while to get used to keeping her off her head all day long and to

make sure she put pressure on the spots that needed to help the

rounding. ITs not just keeping her off her head. My daughter just

turned 9 months and her head is rounded out. She still has a very

small flat spot but she also still has little hair. Just do what

your heart is telling you to do. Getting the band is not the end of

the world and can actually be a great tool but also if repo is

working maybe give a little while longer. I don't believe that all

babies heads just round out on their own like some Ped say. You just

never know. Good luck!!

Ruth Killough

mom to Finley 9 months

>

> Tracey,

>

> Becky will give you a better answer, but I'll give you my two

cents

> anyway. My son is just 5 months old, and I talked to the pedi a

couple

> of weeks ago. The conventional wisdom seems to be reposition the

baby

> until about 5 or 6 months and if you are seeing enough improvement

that

> even if it wouldn't get better, her head looks fine, then go ahead

and

> continue to reposition. If, at 5 or 6 months, you do not see enough

> improvement and you still do not like the shape of your baby's

head,

> then you should strongly consider banding.

>

>

>

> My has been repositioned for almost two weeks now, we have

about

> a week and a half until we go back to reevaluate the situation. I

have

> seen a difference, but not as much as I'd like. I have been unable

to

> get him to sleep on the other side of his head due to torticollis.

The

> good news is last night he slept on the correct side of his head

most of

> the night! The tort has gotten better because we have worked with

it!

> So, along with repo in bed, I have put him on his tummy A LOT and

bought

> a Bumbo seat which sits the younger baby up as soon as they are

able to

> hold their head up. I am very hopeful that we won't have to band. I

> believe that in order to be successful, you have to keep the baby

off of

> his/her head as much as possible. Becky has some really good

ideas, and

> at 3.5 months, you should see some good results!

>

>

>

> Good luck, you seem to be on top of everything and I am sure your

baby

> will come out of this with a perfect head :-)

>

>

>

> Theresa

>

>

>

> Part-time banding? Early banding? Anyone NOT

banding?

>

>

>

> Hi All,

> I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so

> many of the posts are about helmets/bands. It is great to read

> about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone

> has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and

what

> sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth?

>

> My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We

> are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week. We

> have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning

for

> four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the

> repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From

the

> front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see

> slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her

> forehead has evened out nicely with the repo.

>

> My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with

growth,

> and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our 4

> month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a cranio facial

> specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her in

> a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to

> skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin

troubles,

> sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my

> daughter.

>

> I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly

> early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the band.

> Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only?

(I

> am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day

> holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she

does

> not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who

> chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your

> child has grown.

>

> Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is much

> appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little

> ones. Tracey

>

[Guest guest]

My son Malcolm was born breech with tort and plagio (flattening and facial

asymmetry) too. We banded with a Doc band when he was 4 mos old. We had

tried repo for 2-3 months too, but never saw any improvements.

In our case, I knew Malcolm's head was against my right rib cage during the

entire pregnancy. Since we knew the tort and plagio were due to uterine

constraints, we knew it would take medical intervention to get it corrected

and didn't hesitate on banding him early.

We've seen dramatic improvements since banding Malcolm. And I've never

regretted making the decision to band him, though it certainly was not easy

to make. But we wanted the best correction and knew the Doc band was our

best option.

As for banding, this is a very difficult decision to make. None of us want

to get our babies banded. However, sometimes medical intervention is

required.

Please excuse me for asking but do you know where your baby's head was

during the pregnancy? I ask because your baby was breech too and breech

babies are positioned in such a way because of uterine constraints. If your

baby's head was constricted like Malcolm's was, then that may weigh in your

decision to band your baby.

Uterine constraints can cause plagio and tort. I don't mean to scare you

here, but just to point out that plagio and tort are sometimes unavoidable

and sometimes banding is the best option to correct plagio.

As for CT, I've read cases here on this blog of parents who have been sent

home for more repo. If you're in doubt or would like a second opinion or

reassurance, consider seeing a pediatric neurosurgeon who specializes in

plagio.

Good luck.

Carolyn in NYC

Mum to Malcolm - 9 mos - Doc Band #2 6/9

Part-time banding? Early banding? Anyone NOT banding?

Hi All,

I am new to the plagio group, and it is interesting to see that so

many of the posts are about helmets/bands. It is great to read

about everyone's experiences. I am wondering, however, if anyone

has chosen not to treat their child with a band or helmet, and what

sort of progress have you seen simply with the child's growth?

My 3.5 m.o. daughter was breech, and has mild tort and plagio. We

are doing PT at home and seeing our therapist every other week. We

have had two visits to Cranial Tech, and have been repositioning for

four weeks. We have seen, in our eyes, great progress with the

repo, but of course, CT still thinks we should get a band. From the

front, her asymmetry is unnoticable. From the top, we can see

slight flattening on the left occiput, and uneven ears. Her

forehead has evened out nicely with the repo.

My cousin, a ped, has said that her head will fill out with growth,

and we should not worry. We are seeing our ped next week for our 4

month well-baby, and I am planning a consult with a cranio facial

specialist. I am hoping to make the decision in time to get her in

a band by 5 months, if we decide to go ahead with it. I'd love to

skip it entirely- the casting, the fit, trips to CT, skin troubles,

sleep troubles, etc., but there is nothing I would not do for my

daughter.

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who banded their child fairly

early, before 5 months, and how long they ended up using the band.

Is their such a thing as part-time use, like while sleeping only? (I

am fortunate enough to be a SAHM, and I spend most of the day

holding her or wearing her in a sling. My point being that she does

not spend a lot of time on her back.) Also, if there is anyone who

chose not to band, and what sort of progress you have seen as your

child has grown.

Thank you so much for your time. Your input and experience is much

appreciated. Best of luck to all of you with your precious little

ones. Tracey

For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

Hi Carolyn, Thanks so much for you note. I am amazed at the kind responses I have received with everyone's input. I feel better already. In addition to your note, I have read several places that tort and plagio from uterine constriction need more medical attention. Long story short- I chose not to have an ultrasound past 18 weeks. My midwife felt my belly each week, but thought her head was her butt, and vice versa. I know was in the same position for a long time, at least the last two months, when I could really feel her shape. So, her head was tucked up under my left ribs. I really don't want to miss our early window of banding, and hopefully being done faster, too, so my gut right now is to just go ahead and do it soon. If we can help her shape along in any way, why not? You got your band on pretty early-

that's great! How long was your son in his first band? Why did you need to do a second band? Is that usually due to the child's growth? How is his tort now? Thanks for sharing your story with me. It sounds like we have pretty similar circumstances. I appreciate your time. Take care, Tracey

[Guest guest]

Hi Tracey,

WOW!  Another mother who had a breech baby

with its head stuck under her ribs.  We’re an exclusive club!

From what I understand, breech babies are

more susceptible to plagio and tort because of uterine constraints and

therefore more prone to need medical intervention to correct as I said.  Our

pediatrician diagnosed Malcolm with plagio and tort when he was five days old. 

As soon as I mentioned the word breech, the doctor went straight to his head

and then proceeded to examine his flattening, facial asymmetry, neck and hips

(breech babies are also more prone to hip displesia (spelling?). 

Unfortunately, though, plagio and tort

with breech babies can take a longer time to correct because of their position

during the pregnancy.  Malcolm wore his first Doc band for 10 weeks before

going straight to the second Doc band without any delay. 

Typically, if you band before six to seven

months, the Doc band lasts 8-10 weeks and then 3 ½ months for the second band. 

Malcolm’s been wearing a Doc band since March and he’s got another

five weeks to go.  It will be six months by the time he’s finished.  We’ll

be breaking some champagne I think to celebrate.

Whether your child needs a second band

depends on age, severity, and facial asymmetry.  If the plagio is due to

uterine constraints and/or you have facial asymmetry, like Malcolm’s

case, then it’s likely you may need a second band. 

Bear in mind, though, that facial

asymmetry, in particular the ears and forehead bossing, takes longer to

correct.  This is one of the reasons why Malcolm is wearing a second Doc band. 

We wanted the best correction for him.  And as the insurance company is

coughing up the cash, I didn’t think we had anything to lose.

As far as the tort goes, this is another

kettle of wax so to speak.  For me, this is much more of an aggravation and

source of frustration than the plagio.  Malcolm’s been in pt since he was

two months old.  I’ve also been doing neck exercises with him daily since

he was a few weeks old.  And though he has good range of motion in his neck and

we’ve been told the tort is gone, Malcolm still has the darn tilt and

preference to keep his head turned to the right.  We’ve been told that

the tilt and the head preference for the right is a behavioral habit and that

we just have to keep doing neck exercises – and oh, just until he’s

18 months old or older!  I’m about ready to see a tort specialist about this

because I don’t want the tilt and the head preference to the right to

remain forever (I was told it can potentially last for years which is really depressing

and unacceptable to me).

If your daughter has tort, please try to see

a pt who treats tort if possible.  Tort babies compensate in odd ways by

raising one shoulder or overusing one arm for instance.  An experienced pt will

detect the ways the baby compensates while making the exercises look fun and

simple.  

Contact your state’s Early

Intervention for pt and ot – it’s free regardless of income level. 

It can take 45 days or more to get services through Early Intervention and you

may not quality simply on the basis of tort, but it’s still well worth

asking and applying for EI services.

I’d also check to see if your

daughter she has hypotonia (low muscle tone).  Tort babies often have

hypotonia.  Malcolm did.  Basically, hypotonia means that the muscles exist but

are lying dormant and need like a boot camp treatment to get them started.  Hypotonia

is treatable with pt, but it can cause development delays because the baby

doesn’t have the ability or strength in their muscles to pull themselves

up or sit up independently for instance.  A pediatrician or pt can say whether your

daughter has hypotonia or not. 

I know this may seem daunting and

overwhelming, but you’ll get through this.  Post here and e-mail offline

if you like.  If you and your daughter, and any others, may benefit from my

experience, then I will be thrilled and very relieved.  

Best of luck,

Carolyn in NYC

Mum to Malcolm – 9 mos – Doc band

#2 6/9

From:

Plagiocephaly [mailto:Plagiocephaly ] On Behalf Of Tracey and Ed Balsdon

Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006

1:36 PM

Plagiocephaly

Subject: RE: Part-time

banding? Early banding? Anyone NOT banding?

Hi Carolyn,

Thanks so much for you note. I am amazed at the kind responses I

have received with everyone's input. I feel better already. In

addition to your note, I have read several places that tort and plagio

from uterine constriction need more medical attention. Long story

short- I chose not to have an ultrasound past 18 weeks. My

midwife felt my belly each week, but thought her head was her butt, and vice

versa. I know was in the same position for a long time, at least the

last two months, when I could really feel her shape. So, her head was

tucked up under my left ribs.

I really don't want to miss our early window of banding, and hopefully

being done faster, too, so my gut right now is to just go ahead and do it

soon. If we can help her shape along in any way, why not?

You got your band on pretty early- that's great! How long was

your son in his first band? Why did you need to do a second band?

Is that usually due to the child's growth? How is his tort now?

Thanks for sharing your story with me. It sounds like we have

pretty similar circumstances. I appreciate your time. Take care,

Tracey