2mm in a week!

Ben had his appointment in Ross today with Rachel.  He had to have the measurements taken again of his head which meant he had to wear the dreaded stocking...which resulted in the inevitable screams as he looked like a teletubbie!  His plagiocephaly has reduced by 2mm which is fab in a week!  We have 30mm left to go now!  His cranial index has increased to 78% meaning that the back of his head is flattening out a bit and getting wider which is again what we want!  It would appear Ben is having a growth spurt again and if he is it is great timing as his head will grow into the spaces in the helmet the way we want it to!  He has moved from 91st centile to 95th so something is definitely happening!

Ben in Ledbury en route to Ross!

Chilling out in the sun by the River in Ross.  Ben was very happy with himself that he had done 2mm already!

Ben did his first night in his helmet!

Ben did his first night in his helmet last night.  We were worried how he would react but he seemed to not notice he had the helmet on and followed his normal sleeping pattern!  We were very impressed!  He is now starting to look strange when he doesnt have the helmet on so we must be all getting used to it!

Sneaky photo of Ben flat out!

Four hours on!

Ben has done well with his helmet today!  He has done 4 hours on, 1 hour off repeated and has officially been able to nap.  He also has to start doing overnight so we will see how that goes! Helmet still seems to be catching his right ear a tiny bit so will have to ask Rachel if it needs trimming on Wed (the helmet not his ear!!).  Tried adjusting the helmet once on but it doesnt seem to want to move and just sits naturally where it is.  Helmet moves a bit when its on and I think Ben finds that a bit strange as he holds himself really stiff at first but after about 30 mins he forgets all about it.

Went for a long walk this morning and Ben went forward facing in his buggy for the first time.  He loved it and looked a bit like a racing car driver in his helmet!

Is my helmet a drum???  My spoon makes a noise on it!

2 hours on .... and sleep

Today was 2 hours on 1 hour off and Ben did very well.  Helmet went on quite well and Ben was happier with it.  It fact he fell asleep each of the 3 times it was on.  They have said no napping in it yet but he fell asleep himself after it had been on a while so he must be comfortable in it!

zzzzzzzz

So zzzzzzz again whilst Mummy tackled the big hill! How much does that helmet weigh or am I just unfit!?!

Tomorrow is 4 hours on, 1 hour off.  Officially we can nap in it and he will sleep overnight in it!

Day One....was a bit crazy

Ben wore his helmet for the first time on Thursday.  He had to wear it for one hour on/one hour off all day.  Wasn't allowed to sleep in it at all yet so was interesting with naps!  First attempt at getting it on him failed as it didnt go on right and was on his ears and then we couldnt get it to adjust....nightmare and by this time Ben was screaming and had got himself hot and bothered so we let him have a nap.  You have to use both hands to prise the helmet open to put on him, this will be easier when he can sit unaided but at the moment its hard to prop him and leave enough clearance at the back of the head to get the helmet on!  Factor into that baby looking this way and that and its a game of catch the head! Next attempt I popped him in his bumbo and managed to get it on after a bit of faffing and then swiftly popped him in his car seat and went off out to stop the screaming!  Its the ears that are the problem, it catches on them and even folds them over quite easily and then its hard to adjust without taking it off!  

We met Auntie Kirstie and Noah for a bit and he was flashing the smiles not his bottom lip by then which was good.  

Calm at last!

We got a few questions from people who wanted to know what it was for...think Ben felt like a minor celebrity!  Then it was time to take the helmet off which went ok, just gets a bit stuck on the back of his head.  It had left a big red mark on the part of his forehead that sticks out more but thats because it is a holding point for the helmet.  However after an hour the mark had almost gone and we were able to put the helmet back on.  Been smearing lots of vaseline on that area so that the helmet doesnt rub and break the skin.

 Now you see it!

Now you don't but I've got a sweaty head!!  Red mark is not happening as much though!

We met Auntie Anna then for a bit (more flashing of smiles from Ben) and she helped us get the helmet on and off and Ben then had nap time whilst we walked around the lake at Barton Marina.  All in all Ben had the helmet on for four hours which is the normal time they expect you to manage.

Lots of shampoo used on smelly sweaty hair at bath time and then I had to clean the helmet with alcohol solution.

Haha just realised I have only taken pictures of him smiling...should have got some screaming ones to show him when he's older!!

We have the helmet!

Drove down to Ross on Wye today to get Bens helmet fitted! Its very smart and I've attached some pictures of it.  Ben tried it on to check the fit and then Rachel adjusted it slightly to improve his vision on the left side.  Apart from that it fitted perfectly and Ben seemed quite happy sitting there wearing it.  He had some photographs taken of his head shape so that they can be compared at the end of the treatment.  Ben found this all very amusing sat there in the bumbo having his picture taken and was a little confused when he got lifted down to the ground in the bumbo so Rachel could get an aerial shot - think he thought he was flying! Then Mummy had a go at putting on and taking off the helmet and that was when the screaming began...whoops!  So we start wearing it tomorrow, 1 hour on and 1 hour off all day apart from nap time and night time! Time will build up gradually over the next few days to allow him to adjust to it and then on Monday we go full time - 23 hours a day!

Helmet Day tomorrow!

Don't think Ben realises how exciting tomorrow is and how cool he is going to look in his new fish helmet!

Scan picture just arrived!

Bens scan photo arrived today from LOC.  We get the helmet next Wednesday and hopefully we can start to even up this head shape for him!

Getting the scan done!

We have been down to the LOC clinic in Ross on Wye today to get Ben scanned for his helmet.  His plagiocephaly is measured at 32mm which is severe so its good that we have caught it so young and he is at the best age (5 months) to get started! Ben had to wear a stocking over his head and a transmitter was attached to the top (I think he looked like a teletubbie!) and then Rachel scanned every side of his head.  Ben was none too pleased about the situation and screamed very loudly but after being bribed with milk he sat still enough so that Rachel could get the scans she needed.  In the end he was quite interested in seeing the 3D image of his head appear on the screen! We chose a very cool blue fish design for the helmet which I think will look very smart!  Back down to Ross in 2 weeks time for the helmet fitting!