A MUM whose baby’s head became flattened because he couldn’t move his neck is trying to raise money so he can have a special helmet fitted.

Little Hunter, who is four-and-a-half months old, suffers from torticollis, which means the muscles of his neck are twisted to one side beyond their normal range.

His mum Jo Wright, 28, said his head was 3.6cm out of shape and his face had been pushed out.

But she was horrified to be told by the NHS she could not have him fitted with a helmet to correct the problem.

Swindon Advertiser:

“I wasn’t too happy because people can get boob jobs on the NHS that aren’t needed, and babies suffer later on in life,” she said.

The use of corrective helmets is controversial and according to the NHS is there not enough clear evidence that they work.

But Jo said: “He can’t move his neck to the left and this can cause issues later on in life as he could end up deaf or just unable to do anything where he needs a helmet.

"The NHS doesn’t fund helmets for babies with flat head syndrome as it doesn’t affect the growth of their brain.”

Determined Jo, of Stannon Lane, East Wichel, decided to see if she could find an alternative and discovered a private specialist in Cardiff that could help. But it came with a price tag.

Now she has launched a GoFundMe page to raise £1,950 for Hunter to get treatment.

Babies can develop flat head syndrome while their skulls are still soft, usually at around five months old. Causes can include being put to sleep on their back to avoid sudden in fact death syndrome, pressure in the womb, premature birth and neck problems like Hunter’s, which have resulted in the right side of his head flattening.

Swindon Advertiser:

Often the shape will improve naturally, but his case is severe.“He could be bullied at school, he will have to grow his hair long to hide it,”Jo said.

After travelling to Cardiff to see the specialist Lisa Williams at Align Clinics, she was told the technique had a100 per cent success rate. The helmet, which will be checked regularly, helps by applying pressure to parts of the skull that are bulging out, so the flat parts can grow and shape properly.

Jo said if her fundraising raised more than the target she would donate the extra to another young patient.