Update On Our Baby Boy

It has taken me a few days to be able to blog about this. I know that everyone is concerned, so I think that I am ready. We took Tate to the hospital on Monday for his CT scan. He was so sweet and cute. They had to strap him down to keep him still while they ran him through the machine. Only one person could stay in the room and Nathan stayed with him cause he just couldn't leave him. (They are so cute together.) Tate was perfectly still, stared at Nathan and smiled the whole time. The radiologist said that most babies scream and he was surprised at how calm he was. Of course, he commented on how cute he was also!

Our pediatrician called us later that night and said that he had talked to the radiologist and they confirmed that the CT scan was abnormal and it looked like Craniosynostosis. He referred us to a cranial facial surgeon up at Primary Children's. We decided to get a second opinion and took Tate to Dr. Holmes (who delivered him). He confirmed that it was Craniosynostosis and that it could only be corrected by surgery.

For those of you who don't know anything about Craniosynostosis (which I would assume is almost everyone that hasn't talked to us about it):

"Craniosynostosis is a congenital anomaly characterized by the premature closure of one or more cranial sutures (the fibrous joints between the bones of the skull). The disorder results in an abnormal skull and head shape."

What this means, is that two of the plates in his skull have fused prematurely (closing his soft spot). Because of this, his skull can't grow normally, which means that his brain can't grow normally either. The type that Tate has (sagital) is the most common where the top two plates have fused, resulting in his head being long and narrow instead of round. (This is how they caught it; the doctor noticed that his head was not round.) Tate doesn't have a severe case and it is hard to tell that his head is mishapen unless you know what you are looking for. Tate's brain is perfect at this point and there has been no pressure or anything. The surgery is to prevent any future problems when his brain grows more (and it will because he is SUPER SMART!). :)

This is a picture that shows a normal skull (left) vs. Craniosyntosis. Now, any of you who have seen our little Taters knows that his isn't this bad or obvious, but this can give you a good idea of what Craniosynostosis looks like.

We have a consultation with a surgeon up at Primary Children's next Wednesday (Jan 23). He will tell us then more about the surgery and I think we will schedule it. They like to do the surgery before the baby is 4-5 months and Tate is 3 1/2 months now. We will keep everyone posted. We really really appreciate everyone's fasting, prayers and calls. We love you all!

Here is an article that was written by a doctor at Primary Children's Hospital with more information about the condition and the surgery (for any of you who are interested):

http://intermountainhealthcare.org/xp/public/documents/pcmc/tg_05_07.pdf