Amygdala

     Flat Head Syndrome in babies became an after-effect of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) prevention campaign “Back to Sleep,” launched in the USA. This campaign promoted babies sleeping on their back which led to a remarkable reduction of mortality due to sudden death among infants. This intervention was generally accepted by many but required certain modifications in order to prevent deformation of the cranium (head).      Some parents who are afraid of SIDS, never put their infant in the prone position which led to an increase in the risk of Developmental Plagiocephaly (Ohman, 2013) or commonly known as Flat Head Syndrome. With the “Back to Sleep” movement, parents were advised to put their baby in the supine position and never in prone position to reduce SIDS. Less than a decade later, mortality rate due to SIDS significantly decreased by 40% in countries that implemented the “Back to Sleep” approach in preventing sudden death among infa...

“I just believe in myself and give the rest to God. I think you build your strength as you go. You become tougher each day. You realize you can do certain things that no one else thinks you can. I don’t like having spina bifida, I just accept it. I am positive and get through each day. What else can I do?” (from someone with Spina Bifida, taken from “Transition in young adults with spina bifida: a qualitative study” of Child: Care, Health & Development journal, published in 2011) What is Spina Bifida? Spina bifida is a birth defect that begins with the failure of the neural tube closure during that critical development when the baby is still a fetus. It becomes a chronic health problem as the child grows and they usually experience difficulty with urination and defecation and respiratory problems. Others with Spina Bifida have skin breakdown and difficulty in movement. Spina Bifida is a complex health condition that can involve life-threatening complications ...