One Year Later: My Thoughts on Isla's Helmet

Isla wore a helmet for brachycephaly for three months when she was a baby.  It has been just over a year since she graduated from her helmet.

I was looking at her head tonight when it was wet in the bathtub and wondering how it compared to those helmet days.  Here is a collage of her pictures from her pre, during and post helmet wearing days.  Week 1 was October 2011, week 6 was November 2011, and week 13 was January 2012.

 I tried to get a picture of her head in the bathtub tonight, but it was hard because she didn't want to sit still.  (We don't have that pink Bumbo seat anymore!).  I definitely think she has lost that triangular shape that we worried about before the helmet.  It looks like a fairly normal shaped head to me!

 Notice how her hair is thinner on top.  The helmet completely covered her head except for a circle that was cut out on top.  Our orthotist told us that it was common for the helmet to cause hair to grow better because it locks in moisture.  When I look at her head, it really looks like her hair is thicker in the areas where the helmet touched and thinner in a perfect circle around the top, where the helmet did not touch.  I don't really know that her thin top hair has anything to do with the helmet or not, but I always wonder.  I'm ready for that hair to start growing though!


So one year later, and I can say that I am definitely, definitely happy that we decided to get a helmet for Isla.  I have come a long way in my thinking since I first found out that Isla might have to wear a helmet.  Her head looks great, and it was a much better process than I ever expected.  Through this blog, I have had contact with several people (strangers) who have been in the process of questioning whether a helmet is a good thing or not.  It has been great to be able to share our story with others and quiet their fears and uncertainties about how their child will be judged in the helmet.

Just for fun, here are a few of my favorite pictures of Isla in her helmet.  There was a time when I said I would only take pictures when she wasn't wearing it.  Silly me!!!  I'm so glad that I took pictures, because that three months was such a short period of time...I barely remember what she looked like wearing it!  She looked pretty cute and happy!