Plagio-WHAT?????

The last two days have been full of doctor's appointments and medical jargon.  To make a long story short, Ainsley has to wear a helmet. 

Did you really think I'd leave it at that???  Like my boss once said:  "When you get an email from Trista explaining something, you know it's going to be very detailed."  I tend to over-analyze everything and try not to leave any stones unturned.  The Orthotist at our appointment on Tuesday mentioned during our consultation and we can't overanalyze the helmet.  Of course, Joel rolled his eyes while I laughed and told her I overanalyze everything!

So, back to Ainsley's head....we had an appointment at Hanger Orthotics in Springfield yesterday afternoon.  (I was VERY pleased with the staff there and would highly recommend them to anyone, by the way.)  We didn't really know what to expect going into the appointment, because they're not technically doctors.  The orthotist started out by taking a quick look at Ainsley's head and then explaining a little about the different types of flat heads.  She thought by looking that Ainsley's head would be able to improve with the aid of a helmet, but had to take some measurements to see what they could do. 

She started off by putting this piece of cloth around her head and then a device on the top of her head, which was used in conjunction with the hand held scanner to get the measurements. 

This is what Ainsley looked like at that point....

Then, she put a black cape over her before she scanned her head with the hand held scanner.  Which made her look like this....

At no time did she cry.  I think she was more intrigued by what the Orthotist was doing then worrying about the crazy things on her head.  It was pretty neat to watch as Ainsley's head started to take shape on the computer monitor as she scanned.  After the scan she had to run some quick numbers and told us that she thought we would be able to improve her head with the aid of a helmet at that point.  The helmet is a cosmetic fix, and helps to round out the head.  Ainsley doesn't have anything wrong with her, other than the fact that her head is flat.  It's not restricting brain growth, and flatness of the head hasn't been shown to have any adverse effect on a child later in life.  So, it is really up to the parents to decide if they want to go ahead with the helmet.  Of course, we don't want Ainsley to have a flat/misshapen head for the rest of her life, so we decided to go forward with the helmet. 

The scan showed that Ainsley has both plagiocephaly and brachycephaly.  The brachycephaly is worse than the plagiocephaly, but both can be corrected with the helmet (maybe a more proper term is cranial band, but to me; it's a helmet.)   Plagiocephaly is asymmetric head deformity.  I noticed this probably around 3 months.  The top right corner of her head started sticking out farther than the left side.  Being the paranoid mother that I am, I had everyone feel it to see if they could tell the difference and many just kind of shrugged me off, including the doctor.  One thing I have learned through this entire process is that I really do have a motherly instrinct and from now on, I'm trusting my gut and will get a second or third opinion if I don't think my issue is being addressed.  So, back to Ainsley's plagiocephaly:  they usually start the helmet when the measurements are 6-7 or above and Ainsley's was at 10.4mm. 

Ainsley's main issue is the brachycephaly.  This is disproportionate head deformity, or in my own words:  A very flat head!  In order to figure the cephalic index (CI) of a baby's head, you take the cranial width/cranial length *100.   A "normal" CI is about 80-85%.  Ainsley's CI is at 98.4%.  So, that's pretty much saying that her head is almost as wide as it is long, hence, a flat head in the back because there is no rounding. 

The worry-wart that I am, was concerned that Ainsley may have craniosynostosis, which is where the plates fuse together too soon on a baby's head and requires surgery to correct.  The Orthotist assured me that Ainsley didn't have this, but said that she's not a doctor so if we wanted another opinion from a doctor she understood.  I already had an appointment set up with a neurologist to check on this today, so we went ahead and kept our appointment with her.  The neurologist assured us that she doesn't have craniosynostosis and did developmental tests on her.  She said that she is developing just fine and doesn't think that anything is wrong.  Of course, at the end of the appointment, she had to mention something about the back of her brain not being able to develop properly, but that could only be confirmed with a MRI, but she didn't think we had anything to worry about because everything checked out good.  She wants us to come back for a follow up appointment in three months to make sure she's still developing properly, but doesn't see any reason why she wouldn't be.  She said that she usually doesn't recommond a helmet, but she would recommend it for Ainsley because her head is so flat.  It made me feel better knowing that the flatness is purely a cosmetic issue and the neurologist also agreed with getting a helmet on her.

I called this afternoon and placed the order for the helmet.  It should be here next week and we go Wednesday for the fitting appointment.  They have to cut it down once it comes in for the ear holes, etc.  The Orthotist said that the helmet will never put pressure on her head and there will pretty much be a big empty spot at the back of it so her head can grow out.  We'll have to go every week to make sure it's still fitting properly, etc.  This is going to be a huge committment, but I'm certain that we'll love the results at the end.

I know that we're going to get lots of stares in the coming months, and I'm glad that Ainsley's young.  She'll just think that everyone is giving her extra attention, and won't have a clue that they're really just staring at her because she has a helmet on her head!  I wanted to get some decals to put on her helmet, such as:  "Caution:  the longer you stare, the cuter I look", "You should have seen the other guy", "Do I have helmet hair?", "My parents are over-protective", or "Does this helmet make me look fat?"  But, I refrained from getting them.  I picked out a couple of different decals for the helmet, but you'll just have to wait to see them.

So, this is the last week to put ribbons, hats, etc. on her for the next 3-4 months.  She'll have to wear the helmet 23 hours a day for around 3 months, starting next Wednesday.  I'm taking suggestions now for Halloween ideas that involve a helmet.  Football player is OUT.  Joel's already mad at me because I didn't order the helmet or decals for it to look like a Green Bay Packers helmet.  When I say mad, I mean:  Don't even bring it up to him, because he'll probably go off about it!  If Ainsley was a little boy, I wouldn't have had a problem with it, but she needs a pink helmet!

I got a sneak peek of Ainsley's 6 month pictures tonight.  I know I'm partial, but isn't she just the cutest thing you've ever seen?!?!