A New Phase

We've recently entered a phase that was previously completely foreign to me. I had seen babies with helmets before, but never even knew why they had to wear them. Now one of my babies will be wearing one for 3-6 months.




I had noticed clear back before Mason was even a month old that he always slept in the exact same position. No matter how I turned him, his head always went to one side in his cradle. Consequently, his head was beginning to flatten out on that side. I brought it up at his one-month checkup, and the doctor dismissed my concerns, saying that our society is far too cosmetic these days, and I shouldn't worry over a little imperfection. By his two-month checkup, the doctor referred me to a plastic surgeon. I was shocked--and devastated--that the problem could have grown so serious so suddenly, especially when I felt that I had tried to catch it early on. The plastic surgeon examined Mason and determined that his head was so misshapen that if we didn't correct the problem, it was likely that Mason's head would not even fit a bicycle helmet or a football helmet when he grew up. She said it was caused by torticollis, a condition when one side of the neck muscles is shorter and tighter than the other side, causing the baby to always turn to that side. Next came the referral to a prosthetics company, where Mason had a plaster mold of his head taken for a custom helmet to be made. Of course, these helmets are not covered by insurance, as this is considered a "cosmetic" problem. Lucky for us, we qualified for a grant which allowed us to get his custom helmet for half the usual price of $2200-$2500!

So, now we begin this new phase of Mason wearing the helmet for 23 hours a day. It comes off only for bath time. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all. He has adjusted to it with no problem so far. I'm getting used to the strange looks from people whenever we're out, but that's not the hardest part. The hardest part is not being able to snuggle with his sweet little head any more! Nursing is just not the same. I am so grateful that there is technology today to correct this problem, but I can't wait to have my little boy's head back, so I'll be able to stroke it, kiss it, and cuddle it without anything in the way!