My twin babies wear $700 helmets for 23 hours a…
Madeline Lawrence, a married mom of three, including new child twins Nico and Ash, is set to repair a flat.
The Utah native is working to remedy the flatness of her babies’ skulls with $700 3D-printed head-shaping helmets — and she’s getting a entire lot of backlash.
“The babies wear their helmets 23 hours a day because that’s just what [their pediatrician] recommended,” Lawrence, 32, from Utah, told The Post. “To start, we did one hour on, one hour off to help acclimate them to the helmet.”
Madeline Lawrence and her husband, Logan, first observed their babies had flat heads two weeks after their delivery this spring. TikTookay/@mads_lawrence
“My daughter started off with 14 millimeters of asymmetry, and she’s was down to 3.75 millimeters after six weeks of wearing the helmet.”
Lawrence’s twins are among the one in every eight healthy infants who undergo from grapple with plagiocephaly, also recognized as flat head syndrome, according to latest data from the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences in Chicago.
The condition, which doesn’t have an effect on mind development or intelligence, is identifiable when a child’s delicate cranium is misshapen or flattened in one space. In extreme instances, the deformity might trigger the ear on the flattened facet of the pinnacle to seem pushed ahead, and can set off asymmetry in the face, neck, or jaw.
Reports show that plagiocephaly is common, but can negatively influence an toddler’s head form and facial symmetry. TikTookay/@mads_lawrence
Plagiocephaly could be precipitated by the birthing course of, sleep positioning, a lack of tummy time and pregnancies with multiples — such as Lawrence’s duo — per Cleveland Clinic.
To reverse the issue, specialists have strongly prompt helmet therapy, which can price households between $1,495 to $5,195 (without insurance coverage) relying on how early in life babies start treatment.
Lawrence, who paid $700 out-of-pocket for each of her youngsters’ helmets, says her tiny twosome was first prescribed their headwear at the four-month mark. She tells The Post that the doctor prompt ready until the tots constructed up enough neck strength to assist the prosthetic piece before inserting it atop their fragile frames.
Still, web naysayers — trolls watching her social media clips, some of which amass over 20 million views — are biting her head off for protecting her kiddos strapped up round the clock.
“Twenty-three hours is crazy,” carped a commenter.
“I will never understand helmets like this for babies. It is unnecessary,” another chimed.
“So sad. Don’t use helmet come on,” added an equally disturbed detractor.
The digital gripes, however, don’t get under Lawrence’s pores and skin. Instead, she takes consolation in realizing she’s doing the precise factor for Nico and Ash.
The mother of three tells The Post she was initially shocked by the flak she obtained online for protecting her youngsters in helmets for 23 hours per day. TikTookay/@mads_lawrence
“If it were me, and I had a head that was that flat, which could potentially cause asymmetry to my face, I’d want my parents to do what they could to fix it,” she said. “I kind of compare putting my babies in helmets to kids wearing braces. If it’s fixable, why not.”
The mother first observed flat spots on her youngsters’s heads shortly after giving delivery in May.
“It probably started in the womb, probably from a lack of space in there [being that they’re] twins,” Lawrence, who’s also a mom to a two-year-old son. “My husband, our pediatrician and I didn’t see it until they were about two-weeks-old because the twins [were premature] and had to keep beanies on their heads due to the low birth weights.”
She explained that Nico and Ash often follow tummy time — resting on their stomachs that helps cut back additional smushing to the backs of their heads, and also strengthens their neck, shoulder and back muscle tissue. But she credit their helmets with actually doing the trick.
“The pediatrician sent them to a place that specializes in prosthetics and orthotics. They do measurements of the baby’s head and take 3D images,” she detailed. “Then they ship those pictures to the 3D printer. Each helmet is foam lined on the inside and that’s how they make changes as the child grows.
“The idea is that the helmet’s perfectly round, and their heads will [begin mimicking that shape] as they grow.”
Experts say that early intervention with helmet therapy can efficiently reverse the consequences of plagiocephaly. TikTookay/@mads_lawrence
It’s an thought backed by scientific research.
“Helmet therapy was shown to be an effective tool for infants with moderate to severe positional plagiocephaly,” wrote the research authors of a 2023 report, insisting that the longer a child wears their helmet, the better.
“Better treatment outcomes were achieved when the treatment was started earlier than 9 months of age and the helmet was worn for more than 15 hours per day,” said the insiders.
Lawrence, whose daughter not too long ago accomplished her helmet therapy, agrees.
And she’s fortunately letting her son, little Nico, continue therapy until his head rounds out just proper.
“His asymmetry is down to between six and seven millimeters now,” said Lawrence, including that docs suggest that a child with plagiocephaly attain one to three millimeters before saying bye-bye to their helmets.
“I’m just more inclined to keep his on longer since he’s a boy and might not always have hair to cover up any [long-term flatness].”
And when it comes to the scathing remarks she receives online, Lawrence says she’s be taught to stand head and shoulders above the shade.
“After first it was really stressful, but as I’ve kept posting about their helmet therapy, I really just wanted to help destigmatize it,” she said. “I get so many messages from moms saying how long they felt when they were going through this and how much they appreciate my TikToks.”
“My content is all about spreading awareness and positivity.”
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