Little helmet head boy...

John is 14 weeks old, and his reflux is definitely getting better every day. I am back to school and we are starting to settle into a new routine, with John at my mom's for 2 full days and 2 half days during the week.

You may notice in the pictures on our website that Johnny now has a DOC band, or helmet, to reshape his head.

Problems included:
- one ear higher than the other, as well as more forward
- back left side of his head much flatter than back right, despite us positioning him opposite that for the last 6 weeks
- head is taller than it is wide, and slopes up and back from his forehead.

None of these problems are very severe, and his young age means he'll only have to wear it for 6-8 weeks, which is nothing. My nephew had to wear his for 4 months!

It was partially caused in utero, as he didn't move around very much toward the end of my pregnancy, so his head grew a certain way. And of course they are seeing more cases of misshapen heads with the "Back to Sleep" campaign, since babies are spending more and more time on their backs instead of tummies.

It was interesting to hear some reasons why this correction is for medical reasons, not just cosmetic. First of all, left untreated as he grows, it could cause him to have an underbite, requiring serious orthodontic work. Also, protective helmets (football, baseball, bike, etc.) are made for heads that are wider than they are tall, i.e. "perfect" heads. If John's head is taller than it is wide, he would need to get a bigger helmet that wasn't as tight fitting. Under impact, his head could still rattle around inside a helmet, and get concussions or even brain damage more easily. Finally, it can cause problems like TMJ and chronic ear infections.

It has definitely been hard to get used to. It breaks my heart a little bit to feel cold hard plastic instead of sweet soft baby hair when I cuddle him. But Andy and I both agree that it is something that is important that we want to do for him. And I decorated it with ASU stickers, so he is ready for football season! :)

He seems to be taking to it fine. He did have a little trouble sleeping the first night but he seems used to it now. I hope the 6 weeks goes quickly!