Road to our Baby's Round Head - First Sore

First let me say that I absolutely think the stocking used over the baby's head when they take measurements is hysterical. Lucas looks like he's ready to go break into someone's house and steal the latest Baby Einstein video or something.

So, we thought our visit last week went well. As usual Cranial Technologies (CT) took us on time and we were in and out. They couldn't find Lucas' head mold but promised to get to the bottom of that before the next visit. We were in and out in about 15 minutes. Good news for mommy.... until the next morning.

Lucas woke up with his first bad sore from the DOC helmet. I was mortified - it was pretty bad. He's been a little red here and there, but it has always passed. The sore was about the size of a quarter and bright red. As instructed in the past, we took off the helmet and waited one hour to see if it would fade. We also applied hydrocortisone and rubbed it in really well to make sure Lucas wouldn't get it on his hands. I was hoping he had slept on it wrong.

Three hours passed and it was still there. When I looked inside the helmet I noticed a pretty bumpy ridge in one of the areas they adjusted over the left ear temple. I called CT and they squeezed me in at the end of the day. Instructed me to keep the helmet off. There really was no choice in the matter. As soon as I had put it back on him earlier, the sore came back immediately.

When we arrived the technician was surprised to see us and apologized for the inconvenience. They really are super nice at the Paramus office! Problem fixed, except now it seems like the helmet is a bit too loose. That will have to wait until next week.

So, lessons learned last week:
1. Take a close look at the helmet and feel around with your own hands before you leave. It will give you a chance to address any doubts. Look for any ridges that might feel a little too much like a speed bump!

2. Check baby's head first thing in the morning, especially day first few days after a new adjustment, to make sure that that he doesn't have red spots from sleeping on it the wrong way.

3. Keep that hydrocortisone cream handy. It cools the sore spot and stops them from making it worse by scratching at it.

More soon!