Doc Bands for Everyone!

All is going great in our world.  The kids are growing so fast, we can't believe the difference one week makes.   They are eating solid food and starting to 'scoot' so we know that crawling is just a few weeks away and then we will really be in trouble.

At our last pediatrician appointment, the doctor noticed that Travis had a very slight form of Plagiocephaly (misshapen head).   It is very common for multiples of 3 or more to have Plagiocephaly of varying degrees .   One would assume this is due to the lack of space in the womb while the babies are growing resulting in a limited ability to perfect a symetrical round head.   Plagiocephaly is also common for babies who spend a lengthy period of time in the NICU.  Lastly, with the "Back to Sleep" program to avoid SIDS, babies are only put to sleep on their backs which can result in a 'flat head' which is a form of Plagiocephaly.  Since our babies were both 'cramped' in the womb and had lengthy NICU stays, we knew that at least one of them would likely require treatment to correct the shape of their heads.

Treatment involves the baby being fitted for a 'Doc Band".   Basically, the Doc Band is made of an outer hard plastic shell with a soft inner plastic liner.  The hard shell keeps the round parts of the head round by keeping constant pressure on those areas while the soft inner liner allows the flatter parts of the head to expand where needed.   You can learn more about Plagiocephaly and the Doc Band at http://www.cranialtech.com.

Although all three of our kids qualified for treatment, we were very lucky in that they all have very mild cases.  In fact, to the naked eye, Piper doesn't seem to have any issues at all.

They wear the bands 23 hours a day for as long as it takes for the head shape to correct.   Most kids this age wear the band for as little as a few weeks to a few months depending on the severity of the Plagiocephaly.   Since our kids have very mild cases and, given their expected growth spurts from their recent graduation to solid foods, we don't expect them to have their bands longer than 4 weeks or so.

The good news is that they have adapted very well to their bands and don't seem to notice that they are wearing them (see pic of Campbell below).

Here is just a few pics of the kids with their bands (and their attempts at eating solid food!)

Playtime after lunch

Travis showing off his Doc Band

Piper sporting her LSU jersey!

Campbell naping during lunch!

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Lunch!!!

Some have asked me "Why do you want to put your kids through the 'humiliation' of wearing the bands?" or "Why would you take your kids out in public wearing the bands?.  Won't some people stare?"   My answer is this:   During one of the many doctor office visits during our pregnancy, I noticed a very young child wearing one of these white bands.   Initially, I thought there was something "wrong" with the baby.   I thought perhaps he had suffered some sort of brain injury or head trauma.   I felt so bad for his parents and for the baby.   I found myself looking away and avoiding eye contact for fear I would have been accused of staring.    I was ignorant, of course,  as I later learned that these bands were (mostly) used to correct cosmetic features in these children.  These parents, at the risk of people 'staring',  were doing nothing more than giving their kids the best chance of being their true (physical) selves and isn't that the job of a parent anyway???

So, in the hopes of educating other people out there (after all, that is what this blog is partially about), we are putting our kids out there for the world to see.  We think they are beautiful....Doc Bands and all!   We hope in doing this people will learn what these bands are all about.

So if/when you see a child with a band on their head, don't be afraid of it.   Educate your friends, family and children about it.  If the child is old enough, let them know that they look 'cool' or 'pretty' in their band.   It will make a world of difference in that child's life....