Annabelle's Cranial Helmet
Donation protected
Annabelle was diagnosed with Plagiocephaly and Torticollis around 2 months old.
Plagiocephaly is when the skull bones are not forming properly and the head is misshapen or flat. I noticed when taking pictures of Annabelle from above, she couldn't keep her head looking straight up because of the flatness on one side. At her 2 month wellness check, it was confirmed. If it’s not treated it can cause the head to always be misshapen, eye problems, ear problems, apena, and dental problems.
Treatment of plagiocephaly, can sometimes be done with repositioning and keeping the baby off the misshapen/flat spot (that helped when Levi was a baby). If that doesn’t work, and in more severe cases, a helmet is used to hold the head in certain parts so it will stop growing and has space in the helmet for the other parts to grow. The helmet needs to be worn 23 hours a day and for Annabelle, it should be around 6-8 weeks. :)
Torticollis is the tightening of the sternocleidomastoid muscle(large neck muscle that extends from behind the ear to the collarbone). If untreated she will not have full range of motion in her neck and can effect how she moves the rest of her body as she grows. So the sooner, the better!
Treatment for torticollis is physical therapy; special ways to hold her, lots of tummy time, and other exercises to stretch/strengthen the neck muscles. Since we started early, Annabelle is responding well to the physical therapy! Yay! We're happy with her progress and excited to see her do even better with a little bit of head help!
We want to do everything we can to get this happy girl the help she needs to improve! Unfortunately it's very expensive and so Annabelle needs your help to get this helmet! Whatever you can contribute is a blessing to us! If it's not possible, we're so grateful for your love and support just as much!
This was something I've had to learn about and still learning all the time! If you have questions don't hesitate to ask! :)
Plagiocephaly is when the skull bones are not forming properly and the head is misshapen or flat. I noticed when taking pictures of Annabelle from above, she couldn't keep her head looking straight up because of the flatness on one side. At her 2 month wellness check, it was confirmed. If it’s not treated it can cause the head to always be misshapen, eye problems, ear problems, apena, and dental problems.
Treatment of plagiocephaly, can sometimes be done with repositioning and keeping the baby off the misshapen/flat spot (that helped when Levi was a baby). If that doesn’t work, and in more severe cases, a helmet is used to hold the head in certain parts so it will stop growing and has space in the helmet for the other parts to grow. The helmet needs to be worn 23 hours a day and for Annabelle, it should be around 6-8 weeks. :)
Torticollis is the tightening of the sternocleidomastoid muscle(large neck muscle that extends from behind the ear to the collarbone). If untreated she will not have full range of motion in her neck and can effect how she moves the rest of her body as she grows. So the sooner, the better!
Treatment for torticollis is physical therapy; special ways to hold her, lots of tummy time, and other exercises to stretch/strengthen the neck muscles. Since we started early, Annabelle is responding well to the physical therapy! Yay! We're happy with her progress and excited to see her do even better with a little bit of head help!
We want to do everything we can to get this happy girl the help she needs to improve! Unfortunately it's very expensive and so Annabelle needs your help to get this helmet! Whatever you can contribute is a blessing to us! If it's not possible, we're so grateful for your love and support just as much!
This was something I've had to learn about and still learning all the time! If you have questions don't hesitate to ask! :)
Organizer
Jenifer Schellenberg
Organizer
San Tan Valley, AZ
