Is an elongated head shape common with premmies?

[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.

 

[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]

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.

 

[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 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]

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.