Contents:
- Medical Video: Tummy time exercises for your baby
- How do you handle a baby's head?
- 1. Change sleeping position
- 2. Change the position of breastfeeding
- 3. Change the position of the bed
- 4. Variations in how to carry
- 5. Physical therapy
Medical Video: Tummy time exercises for your baby
In medical language, the head is called plagiocephaly. The head of peyang in the baby can be caused by the time lying on your back for too long. This pressure then causes the shape of the head to be rounded to be flat on the back, and the face features become asymmetrical. The reason is, babies are born with skull bones that are still soft so they can change. In some cases, headaches are caused by a large pressure in the birth canal at birth. Head peers are also more vulnerable to premature babies because their skull bones are much softer than babies born on time. But calm, the baby's head can be overcome in various easy ways.
How do you handle a baby's head?
The baby's head is generally harmless. Even so, this condition should not be underestimated. Quick handling will make the baby's head shape back to normal. Here are some steps you can take to prevent and repair the baby's head.
1. Change sleeping position
Sleeping on his stomach is reported to increase the risk of sudden infant syndrome. However, you can position the baby on his stomach while he is awake. This position is very necessary to develop motor skills. The prone position also helps prevent the baby's head by strengthening the baby's neck muscles. The stronger neck muscles allow the baby to move the head while sleeping so that it is not always in the same position.Besides the prone position, you can also alternately change the position of the baby to the right and left side when you put him to sleep.
2. Change the position of breastfeeding
When breastfeeding, you can swap the position of the baby from one side to the other. Adjusting the position of the baby's head when breastfeeding helps avoid pressure on the affected head area.
3. Change the position of the bed
Babies are interested in seeing luminous objects, such as the ceiling of a house or windows and doors. Well, changing your baby's sleeping position or the location of his bed will encourage the baby to turn his head in a different direction. This will make the head not experience continuous pressure on one side of the head. You can also change the layout of your baby's toy so he turns his head in a different direction.
4. Variations in how to carry
You can vary the way you hold your baby from the position of the baby upright, hugged, or in a sloping position. This aims to reduce the emphasis on the back of the head.
5. Physical therapy
If some simple methods mentioned above cannot reduce or overcome the head of a baby, you should immediately consult a doctor. Doctors will usually recommend a number of physical therapies carried out routinely to help improve the baby's neck reflexes. This therapy must be done carefully and consistently.
If this physical therapy does not produce results, the next step the doctor will recommend doing carniar orthotic therapy, namely therapy using a helmet and special headband to restore the baby's head shape. This therapy can be done when the baby is six months old, when the baby's skull is still soft and the helmet will be used by the baby for 23 hours per day. This treatment generally lasts two to six months, depending on how early you start and how severe the problem is.
This special helmet can help improve the shape of a baby's skull as it grows, by applying pressure on one side of the head and reducing pressure on the other side, allowing growth to be evenly distributed throughout the skull.
