Wearing a "Crown"

Last Thursday, we went to Charlotte where Lucy received her DOC band. ( Or "Crown" as many other DOC parents like to call it!) We had postponed getting it a while ago, but after realizing that it wasn't going to get better on its own, we decided to go for it. Lucy will wear this band 23 hours a day, hopefully for no more than 8 weeks. It's purpose is to correct her plagiocephaly - a big fancy word for "flat spots." Because she was born a month early, her head was still very soft and she spent most of her first month sleeping. Those factors along with her stubborn need to sleep on the right side of her head have caused a flat spot to form. This flatness causes the rest of the bones on the right side to shift forward. Many people say that it isn't obvious to them, but if you were to study her head, you would notice. Our biggest concern was that she might have jaw alignment issues down the road. This condition is easily fixed at her young age - after she reaches a year old, it becomes almost impossible.

We will drive to and from Charlotte once a week to see our friends at Cranial Tech to adjust the band as needed. At this age, her head grows rapidly so with the band applying pressure to certain points and allowing other areas room to grow, the plagiocephaly should quickly correct itself. Lucy doesn't seem bothered by wearing it at all. She has done very well with it so far and she loves Miss Shalon, her therapist! :) Hopefully we will have time in the next week or so to decorate her band so it looks more exciting then just white plastic!