# Is an elongated head shape common with premmies?



## Anna Barry

Hi all, 

Neaves cpap hat came off again today was lovely to see her gorgeous face again, i did notice that her head shape is a little elongated, is this because she came out naturally or because she is premature, how long does this take to correct itself?
:shrug:


----------



## CazH

Yeah Freddy seemed to have a wierd head shape, flat on both sides where he was being laid on his sides you could post him through a letter box!. It seemed to go normal after about 6weeks or so dont worry it will ping out!!!


----------



## Anna Barry

Thanks, she is 7 weeks old but still on cpap so i expect the hat isn't helping, your little one looks really sweet.xx


----------



## AP

ooooh yes it'll sort out, the nurses wll change babies positioning to help this, and it eventually pads out! :hug:


----------



## CazH

Ah thanks hun, Little Neave will get there Freddy used to look all tiny and wierd headed was well worried especially when he had that cpap machine on and then the docs shaved his hair off to get a line in his head so he looked even worse!!


----------



## Marleysgirl

Not that I want to rain on anybody's parade, but ...

Andrew still has an elongated head shape after 4 months, he rarely lies with his head straight as the back of his head is too rounded for comfort. The physiotherapists have actually advised us to start "propping" his head on both sides to get him used to holding it straighter, so that it starts flattening out at the back. 

The problem has a posh ".....agia" name but I can't remember what it is! It's most common in NICU graduates, I do recall.


----------



## CazH

https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p253/CarolineHearn/freddy/Image031-1.jpg
This is what he was like last year
https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p253/CarolineHearn/freddy/Image004-1.jpg
And now he is like this!! Unbelievable really!!
https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p253/CarolineHearn/freddy/18742_269419083311_620008311_449355.jpg


----------



## MandaAnda

Plagiocephaly?

For the OP, ask the NICU nurses if they have any special pillows to help with this, as it's better to start out with developmental positioning early on. 

The best thing I've ever used is what we called a "peanut" at my old unit. It's two balls of pillow, joined by a flat piece of fabric. We used to have some volunteers make them, and it makes baby lie on the back of his head, as he can't turn it from side to side.

They work like this: https://www.ozlemons.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/julia-peanut-thumb.jpg
These would also be helpful, but I still prefer a "peanut": https://www.urbanbaby.com.au/WebRoot/ecomm5000/Shops/UrbanBaby/45FD/F245/5234/CBD3/76F9/C0A8/D207/41C0/LovenestDetail.jpg

Even if baby is still on his tummy to help with breathing, reflux or whatever, he should still have some time on his back and can use this then.


----------



## Marleysgirl

I was close with "agia" ... it had a "g" in it! Yup, that's the thing.

I bought a head-hugger today that I'll use with Andrew in his basket (daytime when he's awake) and in his bouncy chair (ditto) to try and encourage him to hold his head straighter.


----------



## MandaAnda

You got the whole "agi", so I knew what ya meant! :winkwink:

Oooh, I just found this on ebay. https://www.facepillow.com/ebay_pictures/butterflybabylisting.jpg

It's frustrating because I can't find any "peanut" pillows for sale though. But like I said, it was volunteers (the old ladies who knit the cardigans, etc.) that did them. But they should be easy to make: one ball of pillow filler about the size of your fist, covered in fabric, connected to another by a flat band of material wide enough to fit baby's head in (?4-6in.).


----------



## AP

our hospital uses these

https://www.jentle.com/

bloody expensive. we accidently took one home :blush: its in the memory box sssshhhhhh!

MandaAnda are those micky mouse ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Dona

Hey there, I remember getting worried about Archie's head shape, I used to look at it all the time. It does get better but it takes time. I would say a good 6-7 months of them being home. Its not a short term fix I'm afraid. Once they start putting on weight their face starts to fill out along with the head. 

Here's two pictures of Archie - the first when he was still on CPAP and we managed to get a sneaky peek of his face. I was mortified when I seen how long his head was. The second was taken last week. 

It will get better...honest xxxxx
 



Attached Files:







Archie 1.jpg
File size: 33.2 KB
Views: 28









IMG_2651.jpg
File size: 28.5 KB
Views: 25


----------



## Dona

sb22 said:


> our hospital uses these
> 
> https://www.jentle.com/
> 
> bloody expensive. we accidently took one home :blush: its in the memory box sssshhhhhh!
> 
> MandaAnda are those micky mouse ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He he - they are in Archie's picture xx


----------



## maxsmummy

im so glad im not the only one that worried about this wen i first saw maxs head i thouhgt the same andit was also long at the back!
https://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac38/maxsmummy_2009/bbymax019.jpg this was wen he was 11days old 
but as he got older and heavier now weighing in at 6lb 7oz at 4months old its either sorting it self out or its in proportion to the rest of him now! but it is still a bit longer i think at the back but i think its getting better!!!
https://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac38/maxsmummy_2009/bbymax152.jpg this was him yesterday! he has had a *bad* icu haircut for his op so they could get a long line in which i think makes it look worse but its deffiantly better! than wen he was smaller! i think i may get one of them pillows! does any one know where u can get them??


----------



## MandaAnda

The "Butterfly Baby Head Support" I put in my last post is on e-bay. The link's above the picture.


----------



## dippy dee

Jack is 3 and he still has the preemie head as our consultant calls it, i wish i knew about them pillows back then as they may of helped.
Btw all these pics of lo's are beautiful xx


----------



## Foogirl

Abby was the same. Even now her hear is slightly longer at the back, but it is getting better. I think I remember the consultant saying it was something to do with the way their brains develop.


----------



## CazH

Mxs mummy Freddy had one of those haircuts too when they put an iv in his scalp!!! Took FOREVER to grow back people were looking at me well wierd!!


----------



## CazH

Dona I think Archie is GORGEOUS looks like a little Olly Murs!


----------



## Dona

CazH said:


> Dona I think Archie is GORGEOUS looks like a little Olly Murs!

Aww thanks hun. xxx


----------



## AP

OMG he DOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anything you want to tell us Dona?.....


----------



## Anna Barry

Aw thanks everyone!!!!

Will keep an eye out for the peanut pillow!!!! She went on high flow yesterday so should help having the cpap hat off.:happydance:


----------



## premmiemum123

It will sort itself out as your baby's head is continualy growing and the platelets are shifting. We can actually see Emily's platelets in her head, it is bizarre, not sure if anyone else can see this on their premmie baby, if so please let me know as not sure if it is normal.


----------



## Foogirl

premmiemum123 said:


> It will sort itself out as your baby's head is continualy growing and the platelets are shifting. We can actually see Emily's platelets in her head, it is bizarre, not sure if anyone else can see this on their premmie baby, if so please let me know as not sure if it is normal.

Yep - we see this too. And when I put some cream on her head I felt them move. Freaked me right out and I handed it to Mr Foo and said he had to do it.:haha:


----------



## Marleysgirl

Update from me ... Because of a family member sleeping on our sofa last night, I spent a couple of hours early morning with Andrew in his nursery while he was awake, I had him lying in his cot while I was expressing and then sorting out some stuff ... And I noticed he lay there with his head held straight, not turned to one side :D So he obviously can do it, quite happily, when the surface is appropriate beneath him. It's in the moses basket, and sat in his bouncy chair, that he still insists on keeping his head turned (and I now use the hugger).


----------



## nkbapbt

Ahh the "toaster head" as the NICU nurses refered to the shape of most preemies heads! They look like toasters I guess. I don't know how but Lakai made it out without this, I always thought it was weird how everyone commented on how nicely shaped and normal looking his head was. But then I realised how many preemies have differently shaped heads. 

It does get better from what I have learned over the last 14 months reading about al things preemie!

I wish more NICU's took it upon themselves to help stop this from happening. Just like they tend to not move the babies around enough so they tend to look one way and end up with over developed neck muscles on one side and under developed on the other. And then the dreaded head tilting..torticollis. I think the NICU's do a wonderful job of caring for our babies, I just wish they could go a few steps further and do such little things/steps to prevent things like this.

Archie is such a cutie BTW.


----------



## MandaAnda

nkbapbt said:


> Ahh the "toaster head" as the NICU nurses refered to the shape of most preemies heads! They look like toasters I guess. I don't know how but Lakai made it out without this, I always thought it was weird how everyone commented on how nicely shaped and normal looking his head was. But then I realised how many preemies have differently shaped heads.
> 
> It does get better from what I have learned over the last 14 months reading about al things preemie!
> 
> I wish more NICU's took it upon themselves to help stop this from happening. Just like they tend to not move the babies around enough so they tend to look one way and end up with over developed neck muscles on one side and under developed on the other. And then the dreaded head tilting..torticollis. I think the NICU's do a wonderful job of caring for our babies, I just wish they could go a few steps further and do such little things/steps to prevent things like this.

It all depends on if your NICU is big on developmental care (and/or how big the nurse(s) looking after your baby are on developmental care), as that's what this (developmental positioning) is all part of. At some NICUs, one nurse will be in charge of a certain aspect and getting information on it instilled in the other nurses (developmental care, breastfeeding, etc.). The nurse "in charge" of developmental care at my first NICU was brilliant, and even when I moved to another NICU it stuck with me (I'm sure the senior agency nurse, when she tapped on one of my baby's incubators to "correct a brady", wanted to kill this new staff nurse who said, "_Please_ don't tap on the incubator! Do you know how loud that is to the baby in there?!")

So, to get this moving in your past (or current) unit, try seeing if there's a nurse in charge of developmental care. In the UK, things like Bliss, the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative and NICE Guidelines all help.


----------

