A woman who spent over a month in labour claims this crushed her baby’s skull and left his head looking like a deflated balloon.
JJ Rushton’s son Bobby, now eight months old, wears a special helmet 24 hours a day in a bid to create a normal head shape again.
The bartender, 27, was just 32 weeks pregnant when she started having contractions – and doctors, fearing her baby would be born premature, gave her drugs to slow down labour and give the baby more time to develop.
It worked but she continued to have regular contractions – known as a ‘soft labour’ – and Bobby was born a month later on March 31 this year.
But, when the boy reached seven months old, JJ noticed his head shape wasn’t normal.
He has since been diagnosed with ‘flat head syndrome’. This means his head is flattened on one side (known as plagiocephaly) and at the back (known as bracycephaly).
JJ Rushton, 27, from Greater Manchester, had contractions at just 32 weeks
She was given drugs to slow down labour but continued to have regular contractions
Joy turned to worry
JJ, from Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, in Greater Manchester, said that up until her third trimester, she’d had a normal pregnancy.
‘I suddenly started to experience severe pain in my bump and I felt like the baby was very, very low,’ she said.
Then at 32 weeks, she started having ‘proper contractions’ and rushed to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport with her husband, Paul, 32, a facilities manager.
‘It was obviously far too early,’ she said. ‘Luckily, doctors were able to administer Tocolytic to give the baby more time to develop.’
Bobby was born a month later but she recently noticed his head shape wasn’t normal
JJ and her husband Paul were extremely worried when Bobby spent 21 days in an incubator, suffering from jaundice
When Bobby was born, weighing 6lb 9oz, he was rushed to neo-natal intensive care and spent 21 days in an incubator, suffering from jaundice.
Once she was allowed to take him home, JJ, already a mother to Porter, two, loved having a new baby. At first, she did not notice his misshapen skull.
JJ explained: ‘I really didn’t notice anything until he was about seven months.
‘As he grew, you could see it at the back. His head shape isn’t round like a normal baby.
‘We took him to the doctor who said he had severe plagiocephaly with brachycephaly. It means his head is warped and it looks a bit like a deflated balloon.
‘We believe that Bobby’s head was shaped by the cramped conditions in the womb.
‘Initially, it wasn’t obvious but, as he is getting older, you can see it coming through more and more.’
Special helmet
JJ and Paul were told the NHS could not help Bobby as his condition was not deemed severe enough at that point, so they paid thousands for a special corrective helmet, which he has to wear for 24 hours a day.
JJ said: ‘I was worried that, as he grew it would get worse and worse.
‘The GP said unless the condition is going to affect his ear, eye socket or jaw bone, the NHS can’t help. The helmet costs £2,250, which I know is a lot of money
‘Our GP told us that we could go private. We wanted to act as quickly as possible, because at the minute, his head is still soft.
Bobby now wears a special helmet 24 hours a day to deal with ‘flat head syndrome’
The eight-month-old, shown here being measured by a doctor, was taken to Technology in Motion in Cheadle, where experts first took a detailed 3D scan of his head
‘We didn’t want to get to a point where his head was more solid and it had already started to affect his ears or eye sockets.
‘For Paul and I, watching him wearing a helmet for 24 hours a day is hard, but it will be worth it if it means he doesn’t have problems when he’s older.’
In order to have the headgear made, the couple took Bobby to Technology in Motion in Cheadle, where experts first took a detailed 3D scan of his head, before taking two weeks to create a special helmet, moulded exactly to fit.
JJ added: ‘It puts pressure on the misshapen areas, to push them back on the pressure points and create a normal head shape again.
‘He has to wear it for six months. He only gets 40 minutes release in the morning and 40 minutes release at night.’
Risk of cot death
There are some risks involved with wearing the helmet, though, which are a worry for JJ, who suffered with post-natal depression after having Porter.
She continued: ‘I know that wearing it can increase his body temperature and put him more at risk of cot death, so I am very wary and it causes me a lot of anxiety.
‘I feel like I’m constantly checking on him when he’s sleeping, to look out for things like red cheeks or sweat on his brow, just in case he’s getting too hot.’
Although the family have now raised the money for Bobby’s helmet, they want to continue working to raise more money for children like him.
‘We believe that the earlier this is treated, the better,’ JJ said. ‘It’s a lot of money to find for a helmet. We were lucky to have raised it quickly through GoFundMe.
JJ and Paul are now fundraising to help other children like Bobby with flat head syndrome
The couple’s first child Porter is pictured here feeding her little brother Bobby
‘Now we want to raise money for other children, who might not have as much support as Bobby. I am so grateful to everyone who donated towards his treatment.
‘While Bobby is classed as severe, there are other children in the UK, who are afflicted far worse by the same defect, but who also fall short of the NHS specifications.
‘The Bobby Rushton GoFundMe page is still active and will be collecting donations for other families that may find themselves in the same situation as ours.’
Porter plays with Bobby at his scan with specialists who created a special helmet, moulded exactly to fit
NHS experts say that while some people claim the specially designed helmets can help improve the shape of a baby’s skull as it grows, they do not generally recommend them.
An NHS statement said: ‘There isn’t clear evidence to suggest they work; they often cause problems such as skin irritation and rashes; they’re expensive, typically costing around £2,000; your baby will need to be checked every few weeks to monitor their head growth and make any necessary adjustments; they may be uncomfortable and distressing for your baby.’
To donate to Bobby’s page visit here.