Re: concerns on reaction from others

[Guest guest]

Heidi,

It was hard for us at first. I missed seeing i's little head.

But as time went on, the Band became so much a part of her, that is

actually weird to see her without it.

I doll up i's Band every couple of days. I use stickers and do

different themes. And that is actually something I look forward to

doing, especially since my 3 1/2 year old helps and takes absolute

delight in it.

And now that i is cruising the Band is a Godsend! It has saved

her little head from more bumps and bruises then I can count!

But I think the most important thing is, once you start to see your

baby's head straighten out you will realize how much better they look

with the correction. i has always been beautiful, but now that

her face is symmetrical and her head is only a little off (we should

be graduating in a couple of weeks) everyone sees her beauty -

whereas before, people would scrunch up their faces and tilt their

head to the side trying to figure out if it was them seeing things,

or if her face was really lopsided.....and I think that was worse

then anything we have gone through with the Band because it just

broke my heart!!

As far as what people think...I have only come across a couple of

obnoxious people since i has been in her Band (to them I just

give a witty come back, my favorite being the joke about her being

an " up and coming prodigy midget wrester " .) Most people are curious

as to what the Band is for. I actually have mom's show me their

baby's head and ask me if I think they should see a specialist. I

have also had pregnant women ask me questions on prevention so that

their baby's head doesn't get flat. Some people think the Band is

for protection, and some people kind of know what it is for - but ask

questions to verify. So all in all the people that have approached

me have all been pretty wonderful.

But the down side, are the people that stare. Those are the people

that I actually can't stand. But to be honest, I hardly even notice

those people anymore. And on the off chance that I do notice someone

staring, I just meet their stare and raise my eyebrows. Usually that

is enough and sends them on their merry way.

So basically what I am saying in my long long post, is that in the

beginning it is a little hard, but as time goes on and you see

correction it is ALL worth it!

Best of luck to you!

Sincerely,

Jaya Dong

> My dr. just advised up to go see a cranial facial specialist at

> Stanford for our 4.5 month old son since the right side of his head

> is very flat.

>

> I have done a lot of research on causes, cures, lenght of

treatment,

> etc but my research does not tell me how the parents feel about the

> treatment and what some of the day to day reaction from people when

> they see the baby in a helmet.

>

> Can any of you help me with this part?

>

> We are suppose to see the specialist on the 28th.

>

> Thank you!

> Heidi

[Guest guest]

Hey Heidi!

I just posted about this the other day. Genna got her DOC band on

March 13th and I was really worried about this issue. But I am happy

to report that it's been just fine. Most people act normally and the

topic doesn't even come up (I think most people know what the band

is), and then there are a few people who openly ask about it but they

are friendly. And as I posted, the only mildly annoying thing was

when two separate people assumed she was some other plagio baby just

because of the band. LOL But that was really nothing.

My dad just left from a visit. He confessed that he had been worried

about the band. He was expecting it to be bulky and ugly but said he

was really pleasantly surprised because the DOC band is

actually " attractive " (his word!) and she looks really cute in it.

Granted, her Grandpa is certainly a little biased, but I think he was

really sincere about this.

Anyway... I just wanted to share our experiences. I hope this

helps! Best of luck to you and your baby.

Judy and Genna (banded 3/13/01)

[Guest guest]

Hi Heidi,

My son has been in his DOC band for just over 3 weeks. I was really

worried how people would stare/react when we were out in public. I'm

so happy to tell you that it really is not as big a deal as I

thought. I even took to a Gymboree class the 5th day he was

in it, and was completely okay with everything. (I kind of did it as

therapy for myself, figuring if I could go to a place where there are

a lot of beautiful babies with perfectly round heads and be okay,

then I could go anywhere!) Most moms asked me about the helmet, which

I find to be better than when people just stare. But, some people do

stare, and that's okay too. usually just smiles at everyone,

and I must say, looks pretty darn cute in his helmet! Like most moms

here will tell you, after a little while, you get used to your baby

in his new 'hat' and forget they even have it on. Good luck!

Debbie

Mom to (DOC banded 2/23/01)

but my research does not tell me how the parents feel about the

> treatment and what some of the day to day reaction from people when

> they see the baby in a helmet.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Heidi:

Abby has been in a band now for about 4 mos., we really haven't rec'd

any negative comments from strangers or anyone else. I think people

actually go out of their way a little more to point out how cute she

is, becuz they are somewhat concerned. A lot of people do not it's

for a flat head, a lot of people politely ask. And yes, we do get

quite a few stares, but I have to admit, if I didn't know what it was

for, I'm sure I'd probably stare to, it's human nature to stare when

things are different. I don't really care what strangers think

though. I know we're doing what's best, and that's all that matters

in the long run. I'd much rather have people stare at her today than

10 yrs from now while they make fun of her flat head!

Good luck with everything!

Debbie Abby's mom 3/1/00, STAR 11/4/00, DOC 2/16/01

[Guest guest]

Hi Heidi.

My name is and my son is Tyler. He just completed his helmet

treatment through Stanford. Please feel free to contact me if you

have any questions. Stanford uses their own helmet, but are

considering switching to the Starband. We were really pleased with

it. My sons pictures are in the files under Tyler. The Drs were

great and we were very pleased with the orthotist as well.

The helmet is open on the top, and has holes drilled all over it.

That makes it a little cooler to wear. Tyler is a very happy baby,

and always gets a lot of attention when we are out. After I got the

helmet, no one talked to him. People acted like he was invisible. I

added a bunch of stickers (a full train set running around his head)

and all of a sudden it was " cute " , " fashionable " , " where can I get

one " , What a great thing to have for travel, gosh, that will really

protect him if the plane crashes " , etc. I highly recommend

decorating!

The only really negative comment I received was while visiting Austin,

when someone asked me if he was wearing the helmet because I intended

to drop him off a cliff? I ignored them (stupidity doesn't always

need an answer).

I live in San , and in my play group, there is one other mother

dealing with a helmet. There are at least 3 others within a few

miles, because I see them out and about. Many times people have come

up to us and shown us their " success cases " - their 3 & 4 year olds

with nice round heads. Hope this helps.

If you want to contact me, my e-mail is cjj408@... Or you can

reply to this note.

> My dr. just advised up to go see a cranial facial specialist at

> Stanford for our 4.5 month old son since the right side of his head

> is very flat.

>

> I have done a lot of research on causes, cures, lenght of treatment,

> etc but my research does not tell me how the parents feel about the

> treatment and what some of the day to day reaction from people when

> they see the baby in a helmet.

>

> Can any of you help me with this part?

>

> We are suppose to see the specialist on the 28th.

>

> Thank you!

> Heidi