At their 4 month check-up our pediatrician noted that the flat spot had worsened, plus he was not turning his head completely to the right. At this point we were referred to a specialist- a Craniofacial Surgeon.
The doctor gave us two diagnoses.
The irregular shape of the head is called "Plagiocephaly," caused by the crowded living quarters in the womb (very common with multiples) where there is little opportunity for repositioning, therefore giving the head a flat spot where it may have been in the same position for too long.
Plagiocephaly can lead to our second diagnosis- "Torticollis." Torticollis is a tightening of the neck muscle on one side.
In Cal's case, he has a tightening on the right side of the neck, in which he prefers to only look to the left, resulting in a flat spot on the left side of his head.
Now what?
The Torticollis will be treated with weekly physical therapy for the next 5 months while the shape of his head will be fixed by wearing a "CranioCap" for 2-4 months. The CranioCap will be worn 22 hours per day with four 30 min. breaks to check his head for redness and clean the cap.
In the end Calin will have a round head and normal neck muscles in 4-5 months. I think it will be fun to document the progress and watch his head transform.
So... here are some BEFORE pictures.
Here is our handsome little man with his new CranioCap. He is adjusting very well and it hasn't changed his cheery personality one bit.
