A Message from Vivi's Mom and Dad...

When our daughter Vivian was two months old, my husband and I noticed that she preferred to turn her head in only one direction and that she always tilted her head towards her shoulder. We also noticed that the back right side of her head was becoming flat. We addressed these concerns with her pediatrician at each of her well baby appointments, and he told us not to worry, that it would work itself out. He suggested that we place her on her side to sleep to keep her off the progressing flat spot, but because of the stiffness in her neck, it was virtually impossible to keep her in position. At each appointment, I expressed my concerns about her neck positioning, and he insisted that if she could be kept off the flat spot, she wouldn't have this problem. What a load of guilt that put on my shoulders! I felt as though I had done something to her to make her this way.

I was not comfortable with this explanation, and since I felt that my concerns were not being addressed we changed pediatricians when Vivian was 6 months old. The new pediatrician diagnosed Vivian with torticollis (wryneck) right away, and put her into a physical therapy program. We also discussed repositioning for her plagiocephaly which was somewhat successful, but due to the torticollis, her head was still more misshapen than we would have liked. The torticollis makes it difficult for a baby to move its head into another position, and so often torticollis and plagiocephaly go hand in hand.

Our therapist brought up helmet therapy at a physical therapy appointment, and thought the helmet would also help the torticollis as her head would not always rest on the flat area. I had also done some research on this and wondered, what would it be like to have Vivian in a helmet? Would she hate it? Would people stare at us in public? Would it even work? I finally decided I had to do anything I possibly could to help reshape her head. Her head was not going to "round out on its own". Her ears had become maligned and her eyes were different sizes. If I didn't proceed with the helmet it would nag me for years wondering if I could have done something more for her. Vivian was also getting older so I knew we had to act on our decision immediately. I had to do it for Vivian.

I called our pediatrician and asked directly for a prescription for a helmet and he recommended the very place where Vivian went to therapy. One advantage of this facility is that they have the STARscanner, and the physician and parents receive regular reports on the baby's progress. That same week we saw Gina Corazza, our orthotist at Mary Free Bed Hospital in Grand Rapids. Vivian was scanned for her STARband--she only cried for a minute or two! Gina took a lot of time to answer all my questions and concerns. Vivian was officially banded at 10.5 months of age.

To my surprise, Vivian didn't mind that her band was on. She even slept right through the night on her first night in her band. And after going out in public a few times, it really became no big deal. We usually just get the same comments about how cute and happy she is. Occasionally someone asks what her band is for, and I just use that chance to educate others about plagiocephaly.

Four months later, Vivian's head looks fantastic. It is nice and round in the back. Her ears and eyes look great. We are amazed at the correction we have seen, especially due to the fact that she was banded at 10.5 months, which some people think is a "late" age to band. I sometimes look back on the STARscanner reports that show how much progress Vivian made. At times I even catch myself just staring at her head! We could not be happier with the decision to band Vivian and I would do it all over again in a minute. The STARband in the hands of our orthotist, Gina, has simply done wonders for her.

Thanks Gina Corazza and Orthomerica!

Christina and Eric H.
Parent's of Vivian