Finley had his four-month appointment this week; this included his second round of immunizations. He did well, but was vvveeerrryyy sleepy afterwards; the appointment was late Tuesday afternoon, he fell asleep about 5:30 and didn’t wake until 1:30 a.m., quick ate and was out until 6:30 a.m. By Wednesday he was back to being a perky happy boy….phew!
Finley is built like his dad! He is short, chubby (for his height) and has a big head…OK…it’s not that bad, but that’s how Patrick described him! He weighs 13 pounds and 14 ounces (25-50 percentile for his actual age), he was 23.35 inches long (10-25%) and his head was 42 cm (25-50%). The percentiles don’t matter much, only that the measurements are near the same percentiles – no worries, he’s close enough!
Our bad news…
Finley was diagnosed with plagiocephaly…thankfully that word looks and sounds scarier than it is, essentially it refers to the flat-spot on his head. In a recent post I mentioned our concern about Finley’s flat-spot; after speaking with Dr. Myhre she referred us to a pediatric plastic surgeon at Mayo in Rochester. We will meet Dr. Bite on December 9th, and Finley will be fitted for a corrective device; sometimes called a “band”, but essentially a helmet. Since I can no longer say the word helmet without feeling sick (or crying) I will be referring to it as his band or corrective device (CD).
It’s been an emotional diagnosis for me, mommy-guilt sucks! Should I have forced more tummy time? Should I have stood over his crib repositioning him all night? Should I have brought him into Dr. Myhre sooner? According to research – it isn’t my fault! This child has not spent four months laying on a blanket being ignored, anything but! Some babies are more prone to plagiocephaly (no known reason), and unfortunately preemies are even more likely; maybe because they are so sleepy in the beginning?! That's just my guess, because Finley did spend much of his first eight weeks asleep.
The good news? Plagiocephaly is purely cosmetic; Finley’s brain growth and development will not (and have not) been affected…even if left untreated he’d still be a smart cookie! BUT, the thought of my child wearing a band and being “different” for a few months drives me crazy. I also love his beautiful strawberry-red hair, and nuzzling his head with cuddles.
The silver lining (Dr. Myhre’s words, I was bawling and had a hard time seeing a "silver lining")…
The treatment will not hurt Finley; as his head grows it will mold into the band (again, no pain). We won’t have to be adamant about how he’s laying or resting anymore, the pressure is off of us. The band-therapy should last 3-6 months; really a tiny blip of his life. The band can (and will be) removed for pictures.
We don’t have a ton of information yet, but from what I’ve read – Finley will wear the band 23 ½ hours each day, taking it off for bathtime and to clean it. He will return to Mayo 1-2 times each month for adjustments (again, no pain). The length of band-therapy depends on the severity of the flat-spot and the age of the child. We’ve got luck on our side – I wouldn’t consider his spot severe and we’re starting treatment at the most recommended age.
If you know of any families that have endured plagiocephaly, or the use of a band, let me know. I’d love to talk with someone that has experienced this first-hand. This little boy was on Mayo's website, he's being treated for plagiocephaly...he sure looks happy :) 
Lastly (for now)…I guarantee a party when Finley’s band-therapy is over…the f#%&ing band might even be burned!!!! (And, yes, I just called it a f#%&ing band; I am NOT excited about this for one single second!)
It snowed!
Finley really likes “that baby”, “that baby” is the one that looks back at Finley in the mirror. We talk to “that baby”, we think he’s so handsome and Finley even smiles at him. “That baby” has no name (we call him "that baby") and he's become good entertainment while I’m putting on make-up or drying my hair.
Mommy's helper in the Bumbo! I'm guessing Bumbo wouldn't approve of my uses for it...on the counter and close to the edge!
A couple days this week I rejoined the Morning Crew at the gym; Patrick was on daddy-duty. I worry he won’t hear Finley over the monitor (he certainly doesn’t during the night), but I haven’t come home to a screaming baby yet. On Wednesday, I got home to find Finley hanging out on my side of the bed…I'm pretty sure that bear is MINE not his!
On Thursday we made a trip to the Mall of America with Grandma; we stopped at Spencer’s house and waited for his new couch to be delivered. Grandma rocked Finley in his great-grandpa’s rocking chair; Grandma used to be rocked in it when she was a little girl! Round Two... Dr. Myhre warned Finley might not get how to eat it at first, and he doesn't. But we learned that his gag reflex works just fine! We will continue to practice eating each day :)
Friday night Patrick and I took our little monkey out for dinner, he loved the attention and was a perfect boy the whole night. 
Finley was keeping a special friend in his pocket!
Tummy time is getting better! 
At Finley’s 4-month appointment, Dr. Myhre gave us permission to start rice cereal.
Round One...
Round One...
Round Two...
And lastly, I found treasure this week! I’d just finished my daily large BK Joe, and for some odd reason I took off the lid and looked inside my cup…what do you know? Treasure! 
My mom brought it back to BK, the manager had no idea how a piece from the bottom of the cash register would’ve gotten into my cup. GROSS!
2 comments:
Hey Heather,
Just wanted to let you know that Eliza was also diagnosed with plagiocephaly. We took her for a second opinion with a cranial surgeron who recommended against a helmet. He recommended positioning activities instead. She isn't perfect, but she is well within normal range now. I do know some people who's children had helmets if you are interested.
I was just going to e-mail Staci but she's so on top of it! Yeah, Eliza has made much-o progress and I know Staci did a ton of research so definitely use her as a resource.
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