We went on the 18th March to get Emilia’s head band officially fitted. She needs to wear it for 23 hours a day!!! Yes. 23! For the next 3-4 months… I was shocked when I first found this out but the longer it is worn, the quicker the correction and the less time is spent in the head band. There is a specific process for implementing the band.
Day 1: 1 hour on, 1 hour off. No sleeping with the band.
Day 2: 2 hours on, 1 hour off. No sleeping with the band,
Day 3: 4 hours on, 1 hour off. Naps only with the band.
Day 4: 8 hours on, 1 hour off. Nap and night time sleep.
Day 5: The Whole Shebang! 23 hours on, 1 hour off, day and night time sleep.
Exceptions: Temperature or sick – no band until temperature has gone. A heat rash or any rash- band is not used until it disappears and any red marks or abrasions on the skin, again no head band until healed.
Day 1 was actually ok. (Doesn’t she look utterly adorable in it??!!) I took the day off work to be at home with Emilia and help her adjust. My mum arrived for 10 days that day so having her there while I was at work during the rest of the week was wonderful. It eased the guilt a tiny bit and I knew she would have granny cuddles if she got upset. She was a trooper on Day 1. She moaned and groaned a bit but honestly she forgot it was on pretty quickly. Tummy time was a struggle as she had to learn to lift her head with some added weight but she has now mastered that..
Day 2 was fine but Day 3 was a struggle to get her to nap with the band. She basically did not nap THE.WHOLE.DAY... Needless to say she was in bed, cranky and overtired, as soon as her bath was finished that night.
Day 4 she napped and slept at night with it. We were worried it would affect her night sleep (we are very blessed with a relatively good night sleeper) but she did her normal 7pm – 7am sleep with a dream feed in between.
Day 5 she had a heat rash! Noooooo… it was all going so well. The great thing about our doctor is he sets up a WhatsApp support group for his helmet / head band patients with 3 other specialists in the group. I immediately sent a photo and one of the specialists responded saying she must not wear the band for the next 24 hours and to come in to get the head band adjusted.
We went in the next day and they drilled some holes in the back to allow extra ventilation. This made a world of difference. Her head was no longer sweaty when the band was removed for the hour before bath time. Success!
The band needs to be thoroughly washed every day as well as Emilia’s head with a special shampoo. (The band is already starting to smell like a stinky sock but this is a very common thing for these bands)
I do miss being able to kiss the back of her head whenever I want or kiss her cheeks without being bashed in the head myself with her helmet! When the helmet comes off for the 1 hour a day, she is showered with kisses all over her head, face and especially her chubby gorgeous cheeks!
All in all week 1 was far easier than I thought and as my friend (who has been a great support and whose son also needed a head band) said to me “It’s harder on you, the parents, than it is on her. She won’t even notice” and she barely did…
BrachyandChatty 