Newborn Brachycephaly: What It Is, How to Recognize It, and How to Intervene
Positional brachycephaly in newborns, also known as flat head in newborns, is one of the most common problems that babies develop in the first 2-4 months of life , a period in which the head is more malleable and grows quickly.
Because of the lack of advance knowledge about positional brachycephaly, most parents are unaware of its existence until their baby's head becomes flattened posteriorly at the occipital level.
In this article I will explain what positional brachycephaly is, the causes of its occurrence and, above all, how to prevent or treat it effectively.
Every month I treat hundreds of newborns to successfully treat flat head and positional brachycephaly in newborns (read more than 260 verified reviews on Google by typing Matteo Silva Osteopath ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐).
Before starting, I'll leave you some useful information:
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- You can find an in-depth video course on how to treat flat head in newborns here. .
Brachycephaly in newborns: what is it?
The term brachycephaly comes from the Greek brachis which means short , and chefalè which means head .
Brachycephaly therefore literally means short head .
The term short head derives from the fact that the newborn's head initially flattens posteriorly at the occipital level but, worsening after day, becomes globally deformed and shortens antero-posteriorly .
In this way, seen from above, the newborn's head appears flat posteriorly but also shorter antero-posteriorly (antero-posterior diameter).
It is defined as positional brachycephaly because the posterior flattening of the newborn's head is caused by incorrect positions that are maintained for too long in the first months of life, a period in which the newborn's head is extremely delicate and malleable.
There are various degrees of brachycephaly :
- light
- moderate
- serious
The more time the baby spends supine in incorrect positions in the first months of life, the greater the severity of brachycephaly.
This positional cranial deformation , namely positional brachycephaly, together with plagiocephaly and dolichocephaly , are commonly referred to as “ flat head ” of the newborn.
In reality, it is important to define them with their specific name because each of them has different causes and remedies.