Matthew Boler’s parents always thought their baby’s head had an unusual shape – but they never thought much about it until a routine checkup when he was just 2 months old.

To their 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝖼𝗄, Megan and Michael Boler learned that the shape of their son’s head was more than a cosmetic concern – it was a potentially serious birth condition that could affect the growth of his brain.

“I thought, ‘Oh, gosh, we’d been talking about this since he was born, that his head was long,’ ” Matthew’s mother, Megan Boler, tells PEOPLE.

The pediatrician suspected that Matthew’s missing soft spot and the elongated shape of his skull meant he had a condition known as craniosynostosis, in which a baby’s skull bones fuse too early.

An infant’s skull needs to remain open at certain points to allow the brain to grow. When the sutures join together too soon, the brain continues to expand as the baby grows, but the skull may develop an unusual shape. Without treatment, the condition can lead to neurological complications or, in severe cases, become life-threatening.

“The pediatrician told me she wanted us to see a neurosurgeon right away,” Megan says.

It was a worrying recommendation.

“Any mom who hears the word ‘neurosurgeon’ for a child gets worried,” Megan says. “I started to get very nervous.”

Megan went to the parking lot and called her husband, Michael, a classics professor.

Within a week, Matthew’s diagnosis was confirmed by Dr. Sandi Lam, director of craniofacial surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Ten days later, Matthew underwent endoscopic surgery to open his skull along the sagittal suture and remove small areas of excess bone growth.

“It was one of the hardest things we’ve ever done,” Megan says. “That feeling of handing your little baby over to an anesthetist was scary. We handed him over, said a prayer and went to the waiting room.”

For five hours, the anxious parents watched updates on a computer monitor and spoke with a nurse who periodically came out to share progress reports. Finally, Matthew was taken to the recovery room.

“He was totally unrecognizable,” Megan says. “He was so swollen.”

“He was inconsolable for a brief period,” she adds. “That was so hard. No parent can prepare for how that feels.”

Encouraged by the nurses, Megan picked up Matthew and held him close. Both parents sang to their baby – a Latin hymn called “Regina Caeli” – and he eventually began to settle down.

The next day, Matthew was able to go home.

“He continued to swell, which is normal,” Megan says. “On the third day, he perked up, looked at his big sister and smiled.”

Matthew spent four months wearing a corrective helmet, and now – eight months after surgery – he is a healthy, thriving little boy, getting ready to celebrate his first birthday.

But if his condition had not been discovered so early, his recovery might not have been as straightforward.

“Early diagnosis is important,” Dr. Lam tells PEOPLE. “If you catch it early, it gives the baby a wider variety of treatment options.” After three months of age, she says, “you will need a bigger surgery.”

Although craniosynostosis is not often discussed, it is more common than many people realize. Dr. Lam says it occurs in approximately one in every 2,000 live births.

The Bolers hope that by sharing their experience, they will encourage other families to pay close attention to their babies’ development.

“The miracle is, Matthew’s pediatrician caught it as early as she did. He has had no long-lasting effects,” says Dr. Lam, adding that the vast majority of babies who undergo the procedure go on to live normal, fulfilling lives.

“When they grow up, you might not even be able to know they had surgery when you look at them,” Dr. Lam says.

For Matthew’s family, they are simply grateful that their baby’s condition was identified and treated so quickly.

“We haven’t looked back,” Megan says.

Source: PEOPLE