Asher’s DOC Band Story

Still so cute!!

At Asher’s 4-month appointment, Brandon asked the Pediatrician about the shape of his head.  We knew it didn’t look quite right- not an easy thing for any parent to admit.  She referred us to a cranial specialist (Cranial Technologies) down at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.  We had him evaluated and we learned he has both Plagiocephaly and Brachycephay.  (I’ll explain both below.)

If we decided to go with the cranial DOC band, it would work to reshape his head. 

I was a mess; sitting in the office and trying not to cry.  And at the same time trying to absorb all we were being told.  Looking back, I think my emotions were mostly selfish.  Thoughts such as, “People will think I’m a bad mother”, “What did I do to cause this?” and “Should we have let him sleep on his back?” ran through my mind. 

Over the next couple of weeks I learned more through some of my own research and I asked more questions.  There are a number of websites with information and blogs out there from other parents going through the same scenario.  Our family is definitely not alone!!  )

This is a great one: http://citymomsblog.com/dallas/a-tale-of-2-doc-bands/)

Here is some of what I learned. 

With Plagiocephaly, the back of the head is somewhat angled or lopsided.  I was told that in our case this most likely happened “in utero”.  Asher got stuck with his head to the side on my pelvic bone and I ended up having to have a C-section.  It also may have happened even before that when he “dropped” in the womb. 

Along with that he has Brachycephaly, which is the flattening of the back of the head and the widening of the head overall.  Some of this was caused by sleeping on his back and the fact that he is a good night sleeper (we often have to wake him after 12 hours).  Yet his head was also a bit predisposed to this shape.  You can feel slight bone protrusions above each of his ears, which shouldn’t be there.

Our pediatrician said that it was best for Asher to sleep on his back until he could roll on his own, and we felt that we should follow this recommendation. 

In 1994, the US began the Back to Sleep campaign, which is now been changed to the Safe to Sleep Campaign. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/sts/Pages/default.aspx

Since then, the site says that SIDS has reduced 50%.  This campaign combines back sleeping as well as other aspects that they feel make a “safe sleep environment.”

First off, Asher will be totally fine- praise God!!  And in his case, as his head was predisposed to it’s shape, there’s not much we could have done to change things.  And yes, Brandon and I would have still had him sleep on his back until he could roll on his own.  Heck, he’s probably “fine” even if we decided not to continue with the cranial band process.  (Yet there could be some referred health problems specifically for him if left untreated.)  I’m thankful we caught it early and odds are that he won’t remember anything about having to wear it. 

We did decide to move forward with the process.  I got over my selfish thoughts, I got over being frustrated with the insurance company not covering the cost, and knew that doing the best thing for your kid is the most important decision a parent can make.  I talked about it with family members and friends.  I feel so blessed as they were nothing but supportive! 

My goal is to make this as positive of an experience as possible for him.  I have, and will continue, to take pictures of him in his “band.”  I’ll be able to talk to him about those pictures when he’s older.  My family has big plans on helping me decorate it and making it stylish.  He’ll be the cutest thing to sport a cranial band yet!!

Some great ideas: http://www.blingyourband.com

Here are some highlights on how the process works and how things have gone so far:

Nov. 4^th, 2013- Asher was measured for his Doc Band and didn’t fuss at all!!  The poor kid- they put what looks like a nylon over his whole head and face and then take a series of 360-degree shots of his head.  He did great though!  I was the nervous one (I have heard other babies cry), but he was a champ!

Nov. 12^th, 2013- One week later we picked up his DOC Band.

Nov. 13^th, 2013- We went back for an adjustment on the band after he wore it for a few hours.  It seems to be fitting better now.
Nov. 14^th, 2013- He slept in the band for the first time and did really well.  He woke up twice, but I actually expected him to wake up more.
He will have to wear the band for 23 hours a day.
He will be in it for approximately 10 weeks.  They base it on the child’s age.  The older they are, the longer it needs to be worn as their growth starts to decrease its pace.  We need to go back for an appointment each week until he is 6 months and then they see if we can extend to every 2 weeks.  The foam inside the band is scraped away at each appointment as he grows. 

I will post the “after” pictures as soon as we get the all clear that he’s done.

I am obviously not a doctor and not an expert.  But a parent is the best advocate for their child and knows what is best for them.  I have known other families who chose not to put their child in a band (and they are beautiful, healthy children) and others who waited things out and their child’s head corrected itself.  I wrote this mostly since its therapeutic for me, but also to help anyone else I could through our experience.