Helmet

Bryce’s appointment at Star Cranial on December 31^st was pretty long – 3 hours to be exact.  Even though the helmet was made for him there were still many adjustments that needed to be made.   We would put it on him and then see how he would do for 20 minutes playing in it, then adjust it again (etc.).  They would check his skin and hair and see if the helmet was holding him in all the right places.  

The helmet doesn’t touch his forehead at all since his forehead has been reconstructed and there can’t be any direct pressure on it.  So instead the helmet is tighter around his cheeks and behind his ears.  There is space in the helmet in the back so his head can grow out and fill in that space. Ideally we want the back of his head to be more round/less flat.

Ray and I practiced taking it on and off and went over all the specifics about how to take care of the helmet, clean it with rubbing alcohol, etc.  Putting the helmet on him is still the worst part.  However, once it’s on him and we’re done adjusting it, he’s fine.  He plays all day in it and it doesn’t bother him.  When we lay him down to change his diaper or if he is on his belly he still gets cranky but I know that will get better with time.  He’s supposed to be in it 23 hours a day but that hasn’t happened yet either.  When we started the helmet they gave us a schedule for the first 5 days to work him up to 23 hours…

1^st day – 1 hour on, 1 hour off

2^nd day – 2 hours on, 1 hour off

3^rd day – 4 hours on, 1 hour off  - wear it to nap

4^th day 8 hours on, 1 hour off – wear it to nap and sleep

5^th day 23 hours on, 1 hour off – wear it to nap and sleep

The first few days were the hardest but after a couple days it became part of our routine.  In the beginning Bryce would get extremely sweaty so they suggested we have Bryce stay in a short sleeve onesie until his body temperature regulates.   He’s doing much better now, thank goodness!