Thursday, February 8, 2007

Helmet Shmelmet... Who Needs It??

So Maddox will NOT be wearing the helmet afterall. Apparently he is allergic to the foam that is used to make the helmets that are manufactured in the United States. So, technically we could probably go to like Peru or Mexico and get some weird space-aged material kind or something else weird they have down there, but most likely we will stay on US soil and rejoice in small miracles.

See, I have a confession to make. I did NOT want Max to wear the helmet. I hated it. I hated the idea of it. To me, his head is perfect. I don't want to change him. I can't really explain my logic, because motherhood is not always logical, but last night I had this completely overwhelming feeling that we should not be putting him in a helmet and that if we didn't everything would be okay. But I couldn't quite tell if it was just me being paranoid and neurotic or if it was something more.

Boy did I get my answer.

When we got up this morning Maddox wore the helmet for a few hours and I started to notice big red welts around his face. I took off the helmet and they were all over his head so I took him back to the Ortho office and Ellie, our orthotist, confirmed that it was an allergic reaction to the helmet. She said it happens in about 1 in 5 bagillion kids who wear the helmet (meaning it hardly ever happens, she had never actually seen it before Max). She then noticed welts on my arms -- apparently Max got his skin from me.

Anyway, I am grateful for small miracles. We were looking for a definite answer as to the helmet question. I suppose I can be content knowing that I did in fact do everything I could to fix him and make him perfect. What he doesn't have to know is that I didn't think he needed to be fixed. I think he is perfect the way he is!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is good you fessed up about how you really felt about the helmet. To me, his head looks fine. Also, having to grow up wearing that helmet probably would have done more damage to his psyche than having a weird shaped head. Anyway, my sister's little boy has had a head that is flat in the back/side since he was a baby and at first we were worried but now we realized it gives his head a little personality. - Nate

Nina said...

Thanks for the encouragement Nate! I knew people saw right through me about the helmet.

Lois said...

Hi Nina and Tyler,

Couldn't you just put a stockinette on Max' head so the helmet doesn't touch his skin? It is cotton so it could be washed etc. Just a thought. Grandma Seibert

Love you guys! Come to Napa sometime.
I know you can't but would love it.