Since January
2000 there are baby pillows available for the newborn in the
maternity wards in Gavle, Bollnas and Hudiksvall hospitals in
Sweden. The baby pillows have been introduced to prevent the
babies’
heads from developing distorted head shapes due to lying on their
backs. These symptoms have become a common concern since the Swedish
Health Authority started recommending babies to sleep on their
backs in order to reduce sudden infant death syndrome.
Since the 1970’s
when babies were recommended to sleep on their tummies, the baby
pillow was made redundant in Swedish maternity wards. With the
new recommendations for babies to sleep on their backs the baby
pillow was initially forgotten. Ingrid Olson, a Physiotherapist
at the Children’s Clinic at the Gavle-Sandviken Hospital
in Sweden, is the initiator of re-introducing baby pillows. “The
new Baby Pillow is just the right size and thickness for the
babies. It is also allergy tested and easy to wash and off-course
affordable”. The idea behind maternity wards using the
baby pillows is to encourage parents to continue using a baby
pillow once they arrive home.
Following the
Swedish Health Authority’s recommendation of babies sleeping
on their backs, the Gavle-Sandviken Children’s Clinic have
annually received 25-30 new cases of babies with flat or distorted
heads. Cases where the paediatricians agree that there is no
other explanation other than the babies are left too long lying
on their backs and not relieving the pressure points that develop
on the head.
Especially
babies that have developed a slight malformed head either through
the position in which they have been lying during late part of
pregnancy or in connection with the birth, both are at higher
risk of getting worse. In some babies the heads grow back normal
by themselves, but unfortunately this does not happen to all
babies. The distortion of the head is not dangerous but enough
to concern and worry parents. The distortion also risk affecting
the child’s looks which can be traumatic for the child
and parents.
To prevent
this from happening to more babies, the hospital in Gavleborg
have started educating parents-to-be and new parents on how to
prevent their babies from developing distorted and flat heads.
The information is given not only on the maternity wards but
also in the ante-natal classes and follow up baby clinics.
The recommendation
of babies sleeping on their backs has had such a literal uptake
that many babies now never get a chance to lie on their tummies
while awake. When a baby lies on its tummy its head is relieved.
“Babies are allowed to lie on their tummies when awake”,
says Ingrid Olson. She is pleased with the positive response the
information has had and is expecting a significant drop in babies
with distorted heads over the next few years.
There are cases
where a distorted head is caused by bleeding in the throat muscle,
this however should be treated by a physiotherapist. There are
also cases that have developed through premature growth zones
closing too early, this would need to be operated on. Claes Mebius,
chief for medical practice at the Swedish Social Authorities
agrees with the baby pillow strategy introduced in Gavelborg’s
hospital and he does not see them conflicting with the current
recommendations by the Swedish Health Authorities.
Facts:
How to prevent distortion of the head.
These three points are part of the information given to new parents:
1. Let the newborn baby sleep on a baby pillow, with the right
size and thickness.
2. Give the baby opportunity to practice lying on its tummy when
awake, but without a baby pillow.
3. Encourage the baby to lie on the non-favourite side by using
toys on this side of the baby’s cot or to turn the cot so
that the baby has to turn its head to see the parents.
