NEW SUPPORT FOR BABIES WITH FLAT SKULL DISORDER

Aug 4 2006 By Ewen McNamee, West Lothian Courier

WEST Lothian has hosted a national meeting of a support group for parents of babies with flat head syndrome.

The newly formed Plagiocephaly Care UK support group held a get together for parents with babies affected by plagiocephaly in the Tumblezone in Livingston recently.

Plagiocephaly is a disorder in which the back or one side of a baby's head is flattened.

Babies heads are soft to allow for the incredible brain growth that occurs in the first year of life, which can make them susceptible to being moulded into a flat shape.

Although many doctors still recommend taking no action, believing most babies’ head shapes will improve naturally in their own time, a growing number of parents of babies with the condition are getting special helmets to ensure their baby’s heads develop into the correct shape.

Claire McCready from Ratho, who helped set up the Plagiocephaly Care UK support group, explained: “The meeting went well, with about ten babies with plagiocephaly attending, including five from West Lothian.

“It gives the new people, who have just had their babies diagnosed with plagiocephaly, a chance to meet people who have been through it already.

“It can be a daunting process, so it’s good to get some reassurance from people who are further down the journey.”

She added: “We have a lot of members from the West Lothian, and I think it’s because of the publicity we’ve had in the area.

“At least two of the mums found out their babies had plagiocephaly after reading the article in the Courier in March.”

Claire also stressed the benefits of the special helmets to correct the disorder, despite the NHS insisting that there is no evidence they help.

“I can see the difference the difference that the helmet has made to my own son, Robbie,” Claire continued.

“If plagiocephaly doesn’t get corrected before the child is two, then the only way to sort it is with invasive surgery.

“A baby’s skull hardens by two years, so after that you have to break the skull and reshape it, which is a painful and stressful procedure.

“The helmets are a non-invasive way of correcting the problem with minimum distress to the baby.”

For more information on plagiocephaly or join the support group, see their website at www.plagiocephalycare.org.