Babies with preferred posture and/or head flattening, asymmetrical infant
A baby can develop a preferred posture in the first months of life; your baby will then lie with its head turned to one side most of the time. Since babies cannot keep their head in the middle after birth, gravity will cause the head to fall to one side. This usually goes away by itself within a few weeks. However, some babies continue to turn their head to one side or keep their head still in the middle. This is called a preferred posture or an ''asymmetrical infant''. As a result, a flattening of the skull may occur on the side on which your baby always lies.
If your baby has an asymmetric flattening (due to a preferred posture to one side), this is called ''plagiocephaly''. If your baby has a symmetrical flattening (because your baby's head is usually in the middle), this is called a ''brachycephaly''. Often this gradually goes away, but sometimes it does not or not completely. This is not a serious problem, but it can look less attractive and is therefore mainly a cosmetic problem. To chart and monitor the severity of the flattening, we can, if you wish, do a so-called 'plagiocephalometry' measurement in the practice. The head is then measured using a thermoplastic band and the results of the measurement will then be discussed with you.
By lifting the preferred posture as soon as it starts to become noticeable, the flattening can usually be prevented or reduced. If the preferred posture persists and advice does not help, paediatric physiotherapy treatment is useful. Various handling and positioning advice and active exercises can ensure that your baby's preferred posture is reduced more quickly. The advice is designed to teach your baby to turn his or her head to both sides on his or her own, thereby also developing symmetrically. This includes advice on positioning in the cot, playpen, changing table and during/after changing and feeding. Here, practising and building up playing in the prone position is very important for your child. Advice will also be given on lifting and carrying your child.
In some cases, the preferred posture is very difficult to break; your baby's head will then not only be turned to one side (rotation) but also in a kind of kink in the other direction (lateroflexion). There may then be a ''Congenital Muscular Torticollis'' (CMT), where the abnormal position of the head is the result of a unilateral shortening of the neck muscle (the sternocleidomastoid or SCM). More intensive therapy will then be needed and your baby may be referred to a specialist if necessary.
Source: www.ncj.nl