Introduction- a quick background to our family situation

They call him Dean Alden the Brave, And one day all history will rave, He's valiant and daring, And noble and caring No wonder girls curtsy and wave. He's Dean, Dean Alden the Brave. That is the song I have been singing to my son since we chose his name in my third trimester. Sure, I essentially stole it from a Muppet movie, but I changed some words and made it work. Dean is my third child; he has two older sisters. All three of my kids are spaced about 2 years apart. I felt confident Dean would have the healthiest start in life out of my three. I knew absolutely nothing about health or nutrition when I became pregnant with my first, and (I hate to even admit this) quickly gained 60lbs eating everything I craved. Late in my second pregnancy (which I was more cautious about after working hard to loose all that weight,) I started getting reoccurring hives which ultimately led me to a nutritionist/natural health care provider. After getting rid of several health problems and food allergies, I began learning about correct nutrition, natural supplements, and alternative therapies. I was definitely in the best health of my life during my third pregnancy with Dean. He was born on October 16th, 2009. Strong, healthy, and alert, Dean delighted our family by sleeping well and crying only when hungry or wet. I had few concerns, but asked one of the four pediatricians at his first wellness check-up (at 4 weeks- I was off track due to my girls being sick for a few days) about the ridge I could feel on the back of his head. The doctor did not seem very concerned, but said she would make a note of it and keep an eye on it. She reassured me that every head shape is just different. The next time we went back, Dean was 3 months old. This time we saw a different doctor within the practice. He said he was concerned about what I had noticed and wanted a neurologist to have a look at Dean. That appointment was scheduled for 2/18/10. I was slightly irritated that we had to go. I figured this was all prompted by me, and that the neurologist would think I was just an anxious mom worried about a funny shaped head. I wish!

It only took a minute of looking at my baby, while I rattled on about the process that brought me there in the first place, for the neurologist to tell me that he was confident that Dean had Sagittal Craniosynostosis (CS), a premature fusion of the scull. It is amazing that between the rising temperature in the room and the sudden and intense nausea, that I could even process what he told me after that. In fact, I am sure my recollection of the details are not 100%. He said Dean would require a surgery to allow the brain to grow properly. He explained that without surgery, the brain would not be able to grow wide and would cause a prominent or even bulbous forehead. In addition to social issues that would arise from this distortion, Dean could also have learning disabilities and even blindness if the brain was unable to grow properly. The neurologist showed me photos, and started talking about what a surgery would entail. My husband, who was listening via speaker phone on my cell, asked most of the important questions. I felt pretty stuck on, "you are not cutting my baby's scull!" I was told that 99% of the time this surgery went without any complication. The 1% problem was usually just an infection easily fixed with an antibiotic. That probably is as good as it gets for safety in surgeries, but after going natural and holistic in my health care, I was troubled by anything foreign disturbing my baby's body. The other surgery details were as follows: an "s" curved incision from ear to ear, cutting and re-piecing the scull in the desired shape, 7 hours duration for the procedure, 90% chance need for a blood transfusion, and a 3 day hospital stay. I was told that I needed to do this between 6 and 9 months of age. I agreed to get the ball rolling with that time line in mind, but left the hosptial unsure of anything.