The Dreaded Helmet

So Maddox had another follow-up appointment, his final one, to determine if he in fact needs the helmet (or band -- whatever, no matter what word you use, it still makes you baby look stupid). The basic result of this appointment was that Maddox's head did not change shape with the repositional therapy techniques. It barely even grew in a month. When I asked Ellie, the very nice baby-plagio-head doctor lady (I don't think she's a real doctor MD type person), if as he grew his head would just grow out of the flatness and odd-shaped roundness by the time he was like 18 (done growing) and she said that his head was severe enough that she was sure it wouldn't.

So Tyler and I (mostly me) have been torn about what to do. Do we helmet or not helmet? Ultimately we decided that we would put him in a helmet. Insurance is paying for it, his head will pretty much be perfect at the end of treatment, and, my reason all along, by putting him in a helmet I will have helped him be the best most whole person he can be. Even though many people claim that this is purely a cosmetic thing, I would be so sad if I knew that at 16 he was made fun of by his friends in the locker room for having a flat head or he couldn't get a date because he was known as the weird-head kid. Stuff like that does things to an adolescent's mind and if I can prevent one more thing from causing him grief during that fragile growing period, I think I have an obligation as a parent.

Anyway, it's being ordered, in the darkest blue they have (so Tyler can turn it into a CAL football helmet) and he will be fitted on Wednesday. Treatment will last 3-4 months at the most. Maybe as little as 2, depending on how much he grows. So I think I will force-feed him the entire time he wears it so that he will grow really big and fat and fast.

I'm sad that he will have to wear it. I'm nervous he will hate it and cry and cry (although Toby, Tyla and Demi seem pretty stoked about theirs). I'm sad because his beautiful hair will be covered up (we may even have to shave his head). And I'm worried that he won't be his happy smiley little self anymore. But it has to be done. So I will suck in my lower lip and buck-up and get through this with a little bit of mommy-dignity (because I swear people will look at me and my baby and think "oh my gosh what a horrible mother!!").

So be kind to my special-needs looking baby. He's normal. He's cute. He's just funny-shaped.

And I am SOO glad they don't do THIS anymore!!