Re: My letter to MSNBC pediatrician (long)

[Guest guest]

Whoo-hoo! Well said! That was really a great letter. Thank you for

writing it and subsequently sharing it with us.

Sue (mom to Riley)

Phoenix, AZ

[Guest guest]

Outstanding letter!!! Let us know if/when you get a reply!

Thanks,

Sue in California

> Hi. I wrote a while back about an article I read on MSNBC's web

site

> about newborns in which the doctor, MSNBC's pediatrics columnist and

> a colleague of my former pediatrician, referred to the flattening

> caused by back sleeping as harmless and temporary. Well, I finally

got

> around to writing to him and I thought you might like to read the

> e-mail I sent. I'll let you know if I ever hear from him.

>

> , Conor's mom, central PA

>

> ----

>

> Text of the e-mail I sent to Dr. Mark Widome, Dept. of Pediatrics,

> Penn State University at the Milton Hershey Medical Center:

>

> Dr. Mark Widome,

>

> I am the mother of a 17-month-old child who is in the last weeks of

> helmet therapy for plagiocephaly. I read with interest your

comments,

> transcripted on MSNBC's Web site, entitled " Questions New Parents

> Always Ask. " I was dismayed, however, by your comments regarding the

> possibility that back-sleeping may cause flattening of the back of

the

> head.

>

> The words you used were " harmless " and " temporary. " I am encouraged

by

> the studies that show no cognitive impairment in children with

> plagiocephaly not caused by synostosis. I know that, for some

babies,

> the flattening is fortunately temporary. And I thank you for

> mentioning the importance of " tummy time " for back-sleeping

infants,

> and for reiterating the importance of back sleeping. But I'm

> concerned that the parents of children with plagiocephaly are not

> getting complete information about the available treatments for

cases

> of plagiocephaly that will not improve without aggressive

> repositioning or helmet therapy begun at an appropriately young age.

>

> I understand that there are differences of opinion among

pediatricians

> and other specialists concerning the necessity of treatment; my

> pediatrician is a colleague of yours and somewhat reluctantly sent

us

> to Dr. Kanev after listening to me complain about my son's

head

> shape for 12 months. (My son's plagiocephaly was probably caused,

we

> were told, by intrauterine pressure and/or a difficult labor.) Dr.

> Kanev told me that I should have brought my son in when he was 6

> months old. My son began helmet therapy at 13.5 months and, while

we

> have seen some improvement, I will always be sorry that we weren't

> encouraged to reposition our son or to seek Dr. Kanev's help

earlier.

>

> I respect the process by which you've formed your opinions

regarding

> the diagnosis and treatment of plagiocephaly, but if you agree that

> there are a small number of children whose parents need to know

about

> repositioning and helmet therapy, please consider using the forum

you

> have at MSNBC to educate these parents.

>

> Thank you very much for your time.