Doc Band- Week 1

Hayes and I just returned from Charlotte for his one week doc band follow up.

We got his doc band on March 12 at 9:30 a.m. We spent a few hours killing time in Charlotte and having lunch with Katie again. (Thank you, Katie, for always coming to entertain us!) And then we went back for his quick little follow up to make sure that the doc band was fitting properly. It was! Thank goodness. We had a doc band that fit and we were going to take it home with us!

wearing his adorable Anavini super hero john john from She She Made

Over the past week, things have gone really well. The doc band is very light weight and it doesn’t bother Hayes a bit. He actually acts like he doesn’t even know it’s there.

For the first two days, I had to take the band off of him every three hours to do “skin checks.” I was checking for red spots. If I saw a red spot, I was supposed to leave the doc band off of him for an hour- or until the spots went away. But if they weren’t gone within the hour I needed to call Cranial Technologies and let them know.

The first day, there were a couple of tiny spots, but they faded within 10-20 minutes. The second day there weren’t any spots at all. The band is a really good fit.

He was pretty sweaty for the first couple of days, but he got used to the extra heat, too. And I haven’t been putting socks on him, so I can help keep his overall body temperature down. It has really warmed up in Columbia, so he has just been dressing cooler in general. I just want to make sure he’s comfortable and doesn’t get too hot.

Hayes did great when it came to sleep. He has adjusted so well and hasn’t been affected by the band at all when he sleeps. I’m so thankful now that he has it and I know his head isn’t going to continue to get flatter while he sleeps.

But, guess what. He’s now sleeping on his stomach! He’s such a rascal!

And guess what else. We received notification that our insurance is going to cover the cost of the band. So, as far as we know, we’re in the clear there. We could not be more grateful and are so thankful to God for taking care of us in this way.

We had our first follow up this morning in Charlotte. I scheduled a really early appointment, so Hayes and I could go up to Charlotte and get back in time to pick up Hudson from school. His appointment this morning was at 8:15 (it’s a 90 minute drive) and we were back home by 10:00! Having an early appointment helps it to not completely disrupt everyone’s day and I’m glad to have it out of the way.

His head has grown 2 millimeters in the last week. And we compared his little head mold to his current head shape and we can already see a lot of improvement. I’m very encouraged with the progress. Especially since he is already 10.5 months old and improvement is supposed to take longer when they get older.

We’ll go back to Charlotte again in two weeks for another adjustment and measurement. I’m so thankful that Hayes is such a laid back, easy going kid. He just rides up there and babbles to himself. He takes a bottle and then takes a nap. He’s such a trooper.

It sounds strange, but with him doing so much cruising and standing on his own these days, there are lots of tumbles and falls. The band has really come in handy. It’s his little crash helmet!

I’m sure some people are curious if we plan to have his band decorated. I’ve actually just started looking into that. A local friend of mine has given me some tips based on what she did for her son. I was concerned about having it painted because I didn’t want to commit to a certain design – and then have it take away from his little outfits or just become something that we are tired of. But my friend recommended a woman who makes decals, and you can switch the decals out for different outfits, holidays, etc. I think I just want them to say “Hayes.” Something simple, but still cute.

I plan to do a little doc band update with each appointment, so we can document the progress for ourselves and for anyone else who is interested in how things are going.

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Comments

  1. says

    He is sooo cute! I still think he looks like a little football player 🙂 Maybe this is just preparing him for his future as the Carolina quarterback!

  2. says

    So awesome that y’all can already see an improvement. I’m so glad the insurance company plans to cover the doc band completely, I’m sure that is a relief. 🙂

    I’m so glad it doesn’t seem to bother Hayes. He is a cutie for sure.. 🙂

  3. says

    This post is so encouraging! I am still in the waiting to see at my son’s six month appointment if he will need an aid of some sort to help his flat spot. Thank you for sharing this information, it makes it a lot easier to deal with the fact that my son may need this as well.

    Good luck!

  4. Ashley says

    Glad it is working out for ya’ll. I thought the same thing when Will got his helmet. So good for that stage with all those spill and rough play! We had the option of having ours with a color or simple design but like you I didnt want it to be too distracting. I found it amazing that it didnt even bother him. Just like nothing even was on his head. Kids are resillient!

  5. step moMster says

    i’m so happy for you that hayes has adjusted to his little ‘crash helmet” so quickly and that you’ve already seen improvement! what a blessing that your insurance will cover it, too. it cracked me up to no end to read that he’s now sleeping on his tummy. hope your weeks is a good one. be easy on yourself (easier typed than done…i know). you’re doing GREAT!

  6. says

    I am so glad that he’s doing well with it and that’s amazing that they can already see some improvement. That’s wonderful that your insurance is covering the cost. I’m sure that is a big relief. Yea!

  7. says

    We will entertain you anytime!! Maybe this summer you can schedule an afternoon visit & I’ll take a 1/2 day and meet you and Rachel! Then we can do a little shopping or something? Ha!

  8. Jessica @ The-Newly says

    So glad to hear that Hayes is adjusting so well! I know the decision was a hard one to make at first, but the progress he is showing confirms that you made the right choice. And what a blessing to have it covered by insurance! Looking forward to more positive updates:)

  9. Abbey says

    Thanks for sharing, Erin! I have a friend who was just referred to a specialist for her son’s head. I was telling her about your blog, and I know it will be a comfort to her to read about someone else’s experience.

    So glad he’s doing well!

  10. says

    We did the design on T’s foot braces, but when he wears pants you can hardly see them. But I totally get not wanting to pick something long term for his little head, that is very visible every day. It is amazing how quickly you can see improvements with these things. It is always really encouraging. Glad y’all had a great morning!

  11. says

    Such a positive experience you are having!!! Hayes looks so adorable, I’m not kidding when I say I don’t even notice the band on him :). A suggestion for you: if you consider having his name on the band, you might want to consider only having his initials. I have been reading about safety issues with kids having monogrammed backpacks with their names–and then strangers knowing what the name is etc. (you get my drift where that can go). Anyways–I know I sound like a paranoid weirdo, but since he wears the band all the time and is becoming more mobile (e.g., will soon be running around at the playground in no time!), it may be something think about. I think it looks cute just the way it is! 🙂 xo

  12. says

    So glad to hear you had a good report!

    Let me know when you’re coming up in 2 weeks. That’s my spring break…if I’m not in Cali on that day I’m happy to come help you if you’ll have Hudson there!

  13. says

    Hayes is just a sweet little boy! And I’m so happy to hear that the doc band is working and helping his little noggin grow!! There is a little boy at Chloe’s day care that wears one, and I’ve always wondered what it was. I’d never seen/heard of it before. And so, now I know. Thank you!

  14. Beverly Steinhaus says

    Hip, hip hooray for improvement already! Doesn’t it feel wonderful knowing that you made the right decision for that precious boy of yours!? And, I am so excited insurance is covering the cost! We were pleasantly SHOCKED when they covered ours. Best of luck at your next visit, and I can’t wait to see his name on his band! He couldn’t be any cuter if he tried!

  15. gracie says

    Thank you so much for the update. I think this is the direction we are going to go for my little girl, and it is so comforting and encouraging to know your little one adjusted well. Sounds like you have adjusted as well. I hear it is harder on the parents than it is the baby. There have been several times I wished my little girl had a helmet she she has fallen down, so I am sure that comes in handy! It will be over before we know it I am sure! Does the band smell okay? I know that is a petty question, buy just a little concerned about the summer heat and sweating ( I live in Texas). Good idea abt not putting on socks. Thanks again for sharing your experience, really makes me feel better about the whole thing!

  16. says

    is it just me or is the face he’s making in his stroller a hudson face?! he looks just like H1 to me! glad everything is going well, can’t wait to hear about this progress! and yay for standing alone! xoxo

  17. says

    This post makes me happy! I’m happy to hear that the band is helping and that Hayes is already used to wearing it and sleeping in it. It definitely doesn’t take away from that cute face of his!! Love him.

  18. Brandi says

    I’m so glad he had such an easy transition with his first week! And even better news insurance is going to cover it. Could you also share where that green with white polka dot tub is from? I’m looking for something to keep toys in and that one is super cute.

  19. Megan says

    My son had a helmet as well!!! He Actually just got out of it in the last couple weeks. It worked wonders!! His head was very flat in the back, and now you wouldn’t even be able to tell it was ever flat in that area. The helmet didn’t bother him at all either, although he did sweat like crazy. The only bad thing for us was that we had to pay out of pocket for it; our insurance wouldn’t cover it at all claiming that it was a cosmetic procedure!

  20. says

    Hey Erin!

    Those are both amazing praises and Hayes looks adorable in his doc band! I can’t believe how well hes doing with it, and you’re handling it all so well too 🙂 I’m sure I’d go the simple route with just a name or small decal too. Well thanks for the update and it will be cool to look back on and see the progress hes made!

    Laura

  21. Ashley Mastroianni says

    Thank you so much for your posts. My daughter just started the doc band at 10.5 mo so it’s great to hear how your experience went!

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