Uneven 7 Week Old Head

He is old enough to sleep on his tummy when he can lift his head and roll over. 7 weeks is too soon.

I, too, recommend that you get medical advice.

at 7 weeks, I wouldn't worry so much about it. Mention it to his pedi. at the next visit, and until then just encourage him to sleep in the SIDE opposite the 'flat' spot. Tummy sleeping starts when the baby has developed enough to roll himeself over. If it seems REALLY flat you can ask the pedi. to send you to have an ultrasound done on his head to make sure his soft spots haven't fused yet. My DD had (still has) a flat spot... but when I mentioned it to her pedi. I was told that usually they allow it to fix itself, and it usually will, until the point that they reach 6 months. If it doesn't fix itself, then they send you for a specialist's opinion. (at least, the office I went to did it that way...)

Ah! Don't massage your babies head!!! Seriously, don't do anything that remotely resembles manipulating your child's skull. Just spend more time doing tummy time and holding him chest-to-chest. There skulls are still soft and not fully fused and you could do serious damage if you try manipulating his head. Call you pediatrician today and voice your concerns at your 2 month appt.

My son had a flat head until he was about 6 months old. I was worried he would have to get the helmet because it was so flat - it was flat on top and then flat in the back - it looked like a square! We did tummy time and he even started sleeping with his head to the side and nothing was changing, it seemed. All of a sudden, it rounded out and the doctor said it was great! :) Definitely ask the doc at your next visit, but I would not worry at 7 weeks. He is still very little.

My son had an uneven head until he was several months old. The ped. told us plenty of time playing on his tummy and if you put him to sleep with his head always on one end of the bed try laying him with his head at the other end so if he's sleeping with his head turned toward the door (which both my kids did) he will end up sleeping on the other side of his head. I wouldn't stress too much about it. My ped was very reasuring and said that a childs soft spots don't fully harden until about age 2 so there is plenty of time for it to re-shape.

You need professional help. Take him right away to someone who is certified in Cranial Sacral work.
You need to find out if he has all his platelets and if he needs surgury or it can be corrected by simple manipulation over a few weeks.

He is WAY too young to sleep on his belly!!

My little one had a somewhat flat head. At her 2-month check-up, the ped. brought it up (nonchalantly) and told us to make sure we were doing tummy time (we were), even if that just meant holding her on our chests more, and to make sure we were positioning her head when she slept (we had to put a sugar-bag wrapped tightly in a pillowcase up against her back to keep her on the other side 2 out of 3 sleeping times). She also said it's pretty normal and that we just have to stay on top of it. I worried and worried and worried about the helmet and how she would adjust, knowing surely she would end up in one. The first thing the dr. said as she walked into the room at the 4-month check-up: "What a pretty, round little head you have!" I almost cried.

You should be headed in for a check-up soon, right? I'm sure the pediatrician will discuss your baby's head with you, whether you bring it up or the ped. does. Anyhow, he's 7 weeks old; his head will keep adjusting for many more months. It's not uncommon for babies to have lopsided heads at this age, though, so try not to worry too much yet (also, it's really only an issue when the fronts of their heads start to become misshapen, btw--the rest sorts itself out, usually).

I understand your concern--I've been there. And if you think it needs more attention than normal, then call the doctor. But he's probably just fine. :)

Please take your child to a craniosacral therapist. Its a wonderful natural technique and can help him without other invasive or uncomfortable ways.
Suzanne at Integrative Pediatric Therapy
http://www.integrativepediatric.com/
Or Kenny Piercy www.kenpiercy.com
can help him and its a wonderful way to heal. They are TOP certified and work with kids all the time with this. In fact Suzanne worked with the conjoined twins that were on the news all the time. We have to start finding alternative ways to heal our children that doesn't require surgeries, drugs, etc.... Call one of these therapists and talk to them. They are wonderful!
L.

Both my babies had this along with a bald spot in the same area. It was from positioning their heads the same way when they slept. The Pedi told me to make sure I gently turned their heads the other way when they went to sleep so the flat spot would not remain flat. If they wouldn't keep their heads the way I turned them, then to change which end of the bed I placed their head. They usually turn it so they can look out from their crib and not at the wall. We did and today they both have perfectly rounded heads. Check with your pedi, too.

Trust your instincts, mom, you know your child the best! Be sure to talk to your pediatrician about your concerns. My son had a flat side to his head at birth - my pediatrician dismissed me for 9 months. When he was 10 months old he had surgery on his skull to correct a fused suture. Some children need major intervention such as this, some need a helmet to correct the flatness, some will just "fix" itself on its own. In any case, talk to those you trust - including your doctor - and keep seeking answers until you are satisfied. Lots of luck! Take care!

Don't worry about it so much - it is very normal for babies to have odd shaped heads at first. They spent 9 months confined to a teeny tiny space - its gonna take some time for things to get in the right position and 7 weeks is not long enough. If you are very concerned then talk to your pediatrician, most likely there is nothing to worry about and they'll tell you to give it some time anyway so just relax and give it some time. I know as a new mom it is difficult to know what to worry about and that is what your pediatrician is for. The chances your son has anything similar to what some of the other moms have mentioned is very slim so don't let them scare you. Good luck and God bless!!

Wearing your baby a lot in a sling throughout the day can help. Flat heads have become pretty common in American culture because babies tend to go from sleeping on their back to laying in car seats to swings and bouncy chairs.

If you get a good sling or wrap like a Moby or Maya your baby could be off his head for most of the day and benefit from the many upsides of babywearing while you still have your hands free to get some stuff done :)
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051100.asp#T051103

This happened to my first daughter too. My Pediatrician referred me to a specialist and he was not alarm about it. If is a little uneven doesn't cause any problems in your child is more cosmetic. My daughter used to suffer from GERD (Acid Reflux) so I started to use a memory foam pillow to help with the acid reflux and I noticied the pillow helped with her head! Just an inexpensive idea! :-)

Don't worry about it now. His brain will keep growing and the older he gets he'll spend less time on that one side. His head will fill out naturally. Right now it's still soft and pliable - stop pushing on it or you might damage somthing! It's way too early to start sleeping on his tummy. But it's OK to let him lay on his tummy while your watching; this helps him build his neck muscles. When he can turn his own head to prevent suffocating, that's when you can leave them to sleep on their tummy - about 6 months normally.

Our pediatrician referred us to Dr Melissa Shelton for that. She helped round out our son's head that was caused by torticollis.

OMG!!! That first response...WOW!! His platelets?? WTH?? My daughter was diagnosed at 10 weeks with torticollis (like a major crick neck), and plagiocephaly (head flat on one side). Google these and you'll get lots of tips on correction. I've become my local head expert...my friends all bring me their babies to look at their heads! It's kind of funny...kind of not. My poor little girl was breech until about 38 weeks and her head was kind of shoved up under my rib cage. Not pleasant for either of us! So, her problems started in the womb. All vaginal birth babies have weird heads for awhile after birth, so I didn't think much of it. One day, my sis asked me if I noticed she was always looking left. I said, oh yeah! Now there's a sleep deprived mama with two preschoolers running around for ya! I honestly just hadn't noticed. Well, the problem was that she COULD NOT look to the right...like at all. That's how tight the muscles in her neck had gotten. Consequently, the left side of her head flattened out and because their little heads are so moldable, the whole left side of her face was pushing forward, including her ear. Basically, her whole face and head was becoming assymetrical. Without intervention, not only would she have looked funny, but it can cause long term problems like TMJ, ear infections, and migraines.

Now, of course right at first my ped wanted to rule out a more serious problem, like the previous poster said, about the sutures being fused. We did a CT scan and the sutures were fine. The reality is, though the Back To Sleep program is fanstastic, there has been a MAJOR spike in these two conditions in the last 10 years. We started physical therapy immediately after my daughter was diagnosed, as well as daily neck stretches at home. Unfortunately, by the time she was 4 months old her head wasn't greatly improved, so we took her to Cranial Technologies (Doc Band) in Dallas and she was fitted for a corrective helmet. Now, the good news is, you're already in Dallas. So, if you take her to your ped and they think it's a problem (or if they don't and your gut is telling you otherwise), call the clinic and schedule a consultation. They're the experts, and can tell you if it's bad enough for a helmet. But for sure talk to your ped first, because if there is an underlying torticollis issue, that MUST be addressed as well.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions. PS~If your kid needs a helmet, there's also a STAR BAND clinic in Arlington. Don't even waste your time. It's cheaper, but it takes way longer to work and is more than doubly as heavy. Good luck!