Craniosynostosis is a birth defect that affects 1 in 2000 babies

Have you ever seen a baby with an odd-shaped head? Sometimes it’s nothing to worry about.  Other times, it could be caused by a premature fusing of the sutures in a baby’s skull.

Because a baby’s brain grows rapidly in the first year of their life, their skulls have unfused sutures to account for this growth.

Sometimes, though, those sutures close to early. When this happens, the growth condition is labeled craniosynostosis and it may require surgery.  It affects 1 in 2000 babies.   My son was one of them.

While he was officially diagnosed with craniosynostosis with trigonocephaly at about 3 months old by a neurosurgeon, our pediatrician suspected it from birth.   Some families aren’t so fortunate.  Craniosynostosis awareness has a lot of room for growth.  

Anyhow, because Blake’s metopic (forehead) suture was prematurely closed and his head couldn’t grow normally, his head had a triangular shape. Apart from the stigma of an odd-shaped head, craniosynostosis can potentially cause brain damage in severe cases.

Because of this, we elected for Blake to have surgery.   See his journey in photos.

Learn more about  craniosynostosis on http://www.craniokids.org