A (Japanese) friend of my (Japanese) wife recently had a baby in Switzerland. The midwife was shocked to see that it had a flat head and suggested that baby and mother both see a doctor to investigate this deformity. She didn't seem to know that many – perhaps most – Japanese babies have flat heads. (Similar things happen with Mongolian spots, which most orientals have at the base of their spine and which can be mistaken for a bruised bum – a sure sign of abuse to paranoid medics.)
Anyway, I laughed again about all this when I read a ridiculous story about babies that lie on their backs getting flat heads:
In severe cases of positional plagiocephaly, babies have to wear a custom-fitted headband, called a cranial orthotic, for up to 24 hours a day, to correct the shape of the skull. The treatment lasts between two and six months, depending on how severe the problem is and what age the baby is. It can cost as much as $3,000 (£1,800).
Wow! The main benefit of lying on their backs is, of course, that they don't die cot deaths in nearly such numbers as babies lying on their stomachs. Sounds like a small price to me. Lighten up, flat-head fretters! Babies, like adults, have different shaped heads. Variety is good and I reckon they all look pretty cute.
Posted by timo at July 9, 2003 11:17 PM | TrackBack