Our little baby boy Harlan needs surgery for craniosynostosis

We are a family of 4, myself (Aimee) a stay at home mum. 2 beautiful boys Kayden 2 and a half years and Harlan 5 and half months. My partner Khan works full time as a farm manager. Khan works very hard and does long hours all so I can stay at home to take care of our boys.

Our beautiful little baby boy Harlan who is just 5 and a half months old has been diagnosed with sagittal craniosynostosis.

Craniosynostosis (kray-nee-o-sin-os-TOE-sis) is a birth defect in which one or more of the fibrous joints between the bones of your baby's skull (cranial sutures) close prematurely (fuse), before your baby's brain is fully formed. Brain growth continues, giving the head a misshapen appearance.

In sagittal craniosynostosis, all or part of the sagittal suture fuses before birth, leading to the skull being long from front to back but narrow from side to side.

The skull of a young child is made up of bony plates that allow for the growth of the skull. The sutures between these bony plates normally close by the time the child is between the ages of 2 & 3 years old. Early closing of the suture causes the baby to have an abnormally shaped head together with the risk of intercranial pressure, possible developmental delays and vision impairment to name a few.

Our son requires major surgery called 'Total Cranial Vault Remodel' were his skull will be removed, reshaped and reattached using dissolvable plates and screws.

Our little boy will be needing surgery ideally between 6 and 9 months. The surgery itself will take up to 10 hours and we will be in hospital for upto 2 weeks following the surgery for his recovery. This will all take place 2 hours away from where we live. During this time my partner would love to be able to take time off work so we can be together as a family and support our little boy.

Thank you for reading and we will be eternally grateful for your support.