At about two months, Baby K developed a definite flat-spot on the back of her head medically referred to as positional plagiocephaly. She was referred to the plagiocephaly clinic at the children's hospital and given an appointment time for the end of May. During the appointment, she saw a nurse practitioner who rated the severity of her misshapen head and prescribed a helmet to correct the issue. She would be required to wear the helmet for six months starting immediately if desired and would be seen every two weeks so that adjustments to the helmet could be made at the rehab center. Adjustments meaning moving the helmet padding to accommodate the change and growth of her skull in the places desired. The expected wear time per day was 23 hours with removal for bathing time only.
While awaiting the initial appointment date, a new friend from our church mentioned a doctor who had helped their daughter with the same problem fifteen years ago. She provided his name, Dr. Robert Kidd but was not sure if he was still practicing. I quickly located his practice on the web and decided to give his office a call. I left a brief message explaining the nature of my call and within 24 hours had received a call back offering an appointment time in three weeks time. That was the beginning of May and Baby K has now seen Dr. Kidd seven times for a weekly manipulation of her head. He performs craniosacral therapy also called, cranial osteopathy in which he cradles her little head in his hands positioning his fingers usually along the side behind her ears and to outside appearances he seems to be just holding her head. But from his description, by sensing the rhythmic motions of her body and head he is moving the bones in her skull to the desired location. He has also described his manipulation as stretching the membrane separating the halves of the brain so as to elongate it and restore the head's shape. He is very gentle and careful in his handling and Baby K appears to be comfortable with the treatment. How long will this manipulation be necessary before the head is restored to its original shape? A year perhaps. At this time we have opted not to have her fitted with the helmet but to continue with Dr. Kidd's weekly manipulations. We can do both treatments simultaneously but that would mean a lot more appointments and driving as both offices are at least 45 minutes from our home.
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