The mother stated that her baby son was diagnosed with a potentially fatal condition and required surgery to correct his head.
When the boy was born, the doctors informed his mother that he lacked a soft spot on his head and had a protruding lump in the back.
The boy was then taken to a children’s hospital, where a scan revealed that he had sagittal craniosynostosis, a condition that can cause problems with brain and skull growth and can result in a ‘boat shape’ skull.
Toni Smith-Pickles, 29, told the ECHO that her son, Jace, needed surgery to correct his ‘boat-shaped’ head after being born with a potentially fatal condition.
The doctors informed the mother that her son suffered from sagittal craniosynostosis. It is a condition that, according to health officials, can cause problems with brain and skull growth and can leave the skull in a boat shape.
The family of the boy was given the option of having the surgery when the baby was 18 weeks or 18 months old, as per Chattanooga Daily News.
Jace’s family decided to have the surgery done when he was only four months old. According to the Mirror, the boy underwent a major operation in 2019.
During an interview with the ECHO, the mom reportedly said: “Jace’s head had quite a big bump so when he lay on his back he couldn’t lie and look at the sky – we had to buy him a special pillow with a hole in the middle.
We could never put him in his car seat either as his head would just rock onto his chest and he would start to go blue because it blocked his airwaves. Days before the surgery I was so nervous – I made myself sick with worry.
Doctors told me not to read up about the surgery but I was watching YouTube videos about it. We needed to do it though because of the risks of the pressure in Jace’s skull.”
A few weeks later, the little boy underwent surgery to have the fused bone in his head removed. Fortunately, the family was able to return home after two days with the boy wearing a protective helmet.
According to the Mirror, the young boy has recovered well from his surgery.
Jace is now three years old and must have a check-up every two years so that consultants can monitor his progress, as the operation can sometimes result in delayed speech development.
The 29-year-old mother from the United Kingdom also stated that her son’s recent check-up in April went extremely well and that he is behaving normally for a 3-year-old.
She told the ECHO: “We still have to be careful if he bangs his head but no more careful than anyone else. Doctors have told us just to treat him like a normal little boy.
He loves going to the football clubs and he’s always running around and climbing on everything. He never stops.”
