Our plea over baby’s illness (From Dorset Echo)

Our plea over baby’s illness

11:00am Saturday 3rd February 2007 in News By Ben Glass

A MOTHER is calling for more resources to be put into a disorder that flattened her baby's head.

Amy Wilson, 25, of Chickerell, says she was shocked to learn little Joshua, now eight months old, suffered from plagiocephaly - a condition where soft baby skulls fix in an abnormal shape.

But when Ms Wilson and her partner, agricultural engineer Antony Hallett asked what could be done they said doctors told them 'he could always grow his hair'.

Since then she says she has spent £1,850 on a head-remoulding helmet - plus hundreds of pounds on trips to a specialist treatment centre in Cardiff.

Ms Wilson said: "When I mentioned the flatness to the NHS they dismissed us and said it would grow out and if it didn't hair would cover it. After extensive research on the internet I realised it might not grow out and found a support group for adults with it and some of them were prepared to pay £12,000 to have their skull broken and reset.

"Others wouldn't step outside their own front door in fear of people noticing their head shape.

"We didn't want Joshua to go through that so we found a clinic in Cardiff, called Technology in Motion, which makes helmets worn 23 hours a day."

But treatment cost is adding up.

Ms Wilson said: "As well as the £1,850 on the helmet I don't dare think about the amount we've spent on petrol going back and forth to Cardiff.

"The NHS says it is a cosmetic procedure, but if braces and ears getting pinned back can get done on the NHS, then they should pay for this too."

Ms Wilson said Joshua had been wearing this helmet for 10 weeks and had eight weeks to go.

She said: "It's looking a lot better now but the real shame is that we didn't catch it earlier.

"Joshua was born with a round head and the flatness started about eight weeks in because he had shortened neck muscles which made him turn his head to one side.

"We now know this could have been easily sorted with a few physiotherapy sessions and spending a little bit of time on his tummy during the day."

A spokesman for Dorset Primary Care Trust said: "Plagiocephaly is quite rare and there is no definitive treatment for it. "It's sufficiently uncommon that not all healthcare professionals would have seen it before or know how to manage it.

"Anything this mother can do to raise awareness of plagiocephaly is to be welcomed. "Other mothers who might be concerned should speak to their GP or health visitor. "In mild cases, babies may not need any active treatment. But there are several ways of encouraging natural improvement in head shape.

"These include early recognition of the condition, letting the baby play on his tummy, altering the way in which the child rests his head while sleeping - although always making sure the baby sleeps on his back - physiotherapy and helmets and bands.

"Dorset Primary Care Trust supports evidence-based treatments where this can be demonstrated to be needed."