meet emily
It’s crazy how fast time flies. To think you’re married with a beautiful baby boy now is wild. I’d first like to thank our next guest for being a constant support of not only this website, but my own personal career. Growing up so close in age was such a blessing because I always had a friend at any family event. So asking you was a no brainer! When I heard and witnessed your journey with your son PJ I knew it would be an important one to share if you were open to it. So, thank you again for agreeing to this segment. I think this conversation will truly help any future parents with children who not only battled with torticollis but understanding how common it truly is. Let’s get started shall we?
Hello Emily! How’s the family doing?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me. The family is doing well. We are all so proud of all your accomplishments.
I hope that this is able to help any parents out there with children who have torticollis.
For those who don’t know, can you just explain what torticollis is?
Torticollis is a medical condition where the muscles in the neck contract, causing the infant to favor and twist their head to one side. We noticed around 2 months that PJ was having a hard time looking towards the right and his head was becoming flat on the left side.
When hearing that your son was diagnosed with this, what was your first thoughts?
I was actually asking his pediatrician for weeks about starting physical therapy but they weren't agreeable at first. I ended up making an appointment with another pediatrician within the office and she gave me a script and reassured me with a little bit of physical therapy and possibly a cranial helmet the issue would be corrected. At first, I was nervous and stressed. You never want anything to be wrong with your baby but I knew that he would do great!
What is the treatment for torticollis? Is this something insurance covers?
Physical therapy, massage therapy and stretching are all treatments for torticollis. I believe there is a medication that can be prescribed but we didn't go that route. Insurance covered over 25 visits to a pediatric physical therapist which was so nice. The other treatment PJ went through was wearing a cranial helmet. We only used it for 2-3 weeks and then stopped using it because he didn't really tolerate it well. He kept getting rashes and would get really hot; so we decided we would just stick with physical therapy and stretching the muscle 4-5 times a day.
Did any part of you feel embarrassed or shameful when hearing PJ would need to wear a helmet?
I think maybe at first, I definitely felt bad that he'd have to wear it. Once we started taking him out in it we quickly started to notice that a lot of infants wear helmets. It is actually SO cute on them.
Was physical therapy helpful?
Physical therapy was the most helpful. We took him once a week, for about an hour. The first couple of treatments were rough. He would scream and get really frustrated but as he got older he started to enjoy it. He was in physical therapy from 3 months until 12 months. I personally believe that he has excelled so much with each of his milestones because we had him in physical therapy. He didn't just overcome the torticollis, his physical therapist also taught him all the proper techniques for rolling, crawling, and walking too. I am forever grateful for her, she taught us a lot.
Is there anything you can recommend to other parents to purchase besides the obvious help from a doctor that helped with PJ’ day to day?
Sensory toys!!!!! They are a lifesaver. He went to physical therapy once a week but we still had to do therapy at home with him the other six days. We used so many different toys to help keep him occupied. These are a few of the toys that we used.
(i’ll be sure to share my favorite links below)
Is there any advice you wish you heard when learning about Pj’s diagnosis?
I definitely wish I was more aware of this diagnosis when I first had PJ. I'm not sure if it can be avoided but I would've definitely been more aware of the signs so I can try to prevent it the best I could. It was hard watching him be in pain because his neck muscles were right. Also a little advice to any first time parents, advocate for your child and if you feel something is wrong talk to your pediatrician. Do not stop until you get the answers or the help that you are looking for. I am so glad that I pushed and made an appointment with another pediatrician. I was able to get my son the help that he needed at a young age and now he is thriving.
So, is being a boy mom the best? Or are you itching to have a daughter one day?
I absolutely love being a boy mom but I would also love to have a daughter one day too. For right now we are enjoying watching PJ grow and excel. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens in the future!
Thanks so much again for sharing PJ’ story with all of us. I can’t wait to watch him grow up in our big Italian family. See you all at Christmas!
