On Monday, we went to Samantha’s appointment with the orthotist at Cranial Technologies. For some reason, their office was inside the Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment at CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County), which made it awkward walking past everyone with two bald babies as people seemed to give us looks of pity. She doesn’t have cancer, just a flat head! Anyway, the doctors were really nice and the appointment was pretty quick and painless. There were no x-rays; instead, we held Samantha on a pedestal surrounded by huge panels which scanned her head. Samantha hated the experience, until the tech waved this pink flashy wand in front of her face and she went from banshee screaming to mesmerized in two seconds flat. I’ve got to get my hands on one of those! Daddy held Samantha while she got her head scanned while I held Amelia, who was laughing hysterically at her sister the entire time.
After her picture had been taken, the specialist showed us the results of the scan on a huge plasma screen. She used a remote to manipulate the 3D picture of Samantha’s head and rotated it so we could see 360 degrees around it…it was all very tech-y. The specialist said the flat spot on Samantha’s head would be considered “moderate brachycephaly,” which basically means her head is disproportionately wide. According to the doctor, Samantha’s brachycephaly appears to have occurred in utero, based on the shape of her head. It’s also pretty common with multiples and with premature babies. Amelia sitting on Samantha for eight months did not do any favors for her head, apparently! The specialist recommended banding with the DOC Band (it looks like a helmet and is supposed to keep her off her flat spot so that her head will re-shape as her brain continues to grow). She would have to wear it 23 hours a day for an estimated eight weeks…doesn’t seem like a lot of time compared to some babies who have to wear the band for five months or more, but I’m still freaking out!
With our insurance, our out-of-pocket expenses will be $2,100…not exactly what I wanted to spend our (non-existent) extra cash on. We haven’t decided if we are going to get it or not; on one hand, Samantha’s hair would hopefully one day cover up any flatness and, best case scenario, her head would round out without intervention. On the other hand, do I really want to constantly worry about her head and if I made the right decision by not getting the band? What if she hates me when she’s older for not doing something about her head when I could have? The longer we wait to get the band, the longer she would have to wear it, so we need to make a decision quickly. I’ve read a lot of stories online from moms who decided not to band and their baby’s head corrected on its own, and others who decided not to band and now regret it.
Poor Samantha! The thought of her wearing a helmet for two months breaks my heart, but I don’t want her to have a funny-shaped head forever either…especially when she has an identical twin to be compared to. I’m going to call our pediatrician tomorrow once she receives the report from the specialist and see if she thinks it would be worth it or not.
In the mean time, I’m enjoying cuddling Samantha’s helmet-free head while I still can!
