baby's head

[ocloud]

for those with children - are babies' heads always smooth and round or did yours have irregularities, e.g. bumps?

[wannabfree]

How old is your baby? Was he born naturally or via c-section?

Two of my children were c-sections (child #1, she was breeched and #3). My second child was born after a long and grueling labor of being in labor for 24 hours and then pushing for nearly 2 1/2 hours (sorry if that is TMI). Anyway, my son had the most lopsided head, with lumps and bumps. A baby's skull is not completely formed and it's really a bunch of joints and made to be flexible so that it can have an easier time getting through the birth canal. So, most babies are born with cone-ish shaped heads. He had a lumpy bumpy head with these ridges for a few months after birth. It did worry me so I mentioned it to his doctor for every visit during this time, and each time his pediatrician reassured me he was fine. Today he's five years old and has a gorgeous round head. 

My first child was a c-section birth and most c-section babies have perfectly round heads, though my last child didn't have a pretty perfect head like my daughter. His was roundishlike but more of a funny, almost oval shape. He's almost three and his head is normal now too.

Mention your head concerns to your child's pediatrician. They hear this question a lot from what I was told and they will help to ease your worries.

Take care :)

[ocloud]

c-section

scared of craniosynrosis )sp?)

ped. said looks normal but "we'll keep eye on it."  i am obsessing over why if it's okay she said that, and said don't worry but added "at this time"

[wannabfree]

Well, as a mom with HA, I wouldn't like to hear "we'll keep an eye on it" and don't worry "at this time". But I think part of having HA is breaking down the things the doctors say and perhaps looking for loopholes in what they say. We can't be satisfied with, "he's fine, we'll keep an eye on it," something she probably said to satisfy you, but rather we hear as something that means there could be a potential health issue we need to look out for. I have to say that having this sort of HA about the kids was the worse for me, and I try to keep away from investigating their ailments, conditions, or oddities too much.

Like I said, my son didn't have a perfectly round head and he was born by c-section. Sometimes some babies get a little too big for the womb and he may have a been a bit squashed and had his head leaning against the sides that made it a little misshaped. My son was a fairly little guy when he was born, and he still had a few lumps I saw. His pediatrician didn't really notice or advise me to watch out for his lumpiness (and his pediatrician at the time was such a cautious doctor, he actually would get me worked up about little things he didn't need to). Of course I mentioned it to him, but he felt my son's head was fine, and I know he checked his head all the time to just make me aware he was taking my concerns seriously.

At this time, I would just take the doctor at her word. If there was a real cause for concern, she will pick it up on one of the many numerous doctor appointments he will have in the next few months.

[ocloud]

you are right - i feel HA about my kids is worse  -how do you deal with it?

[Eva62]

My son had craniosynotosis and was operated on when he was 13 months old.  His head was flat in the back and almost oblong in shape. We all knew there was a problem pretty much from the start. The doctor (Dr. Arno Fried, head of Pediatric Neurology at Hackensack Medical Center) who operated on him, said that a lot of children have mis-shaped heads and most will correct on their own, that is why they take a wait and watch approach. In the meantime, do not let him spend a lot of time in one position. On a positive note: My son is now 12 and beautiful. He is in the top of his class and is even a year ahead in school. MOST of the cases of cranio can be corrected without surgery, Chris' was pretty severe. 

Email me if you have any questions.

Eva

[ocloud]

eva

thanks for posting. his head is not flat, it's quite round. the area i am talking about is on his left above his temple where the suture is. i notice that everyone's (even mine) is bony there but his left his a bit more raised. is this normal for a baby to have some irregularity? i thought all their heads were smooth and round. i don't think it's cranio, do you?

[sixpack]

heads really aren't smooth and round.  Every head has differences. 

The next time you go to the ped, just ask about again.

My #4's fontanel seemed too small or actually closed very young---by 2-3mo.  A friend who was a nurse also noticed it.  I asked the doc about it and he wasn't worried.  I asked about it several times.  One time he agreed that it seemed closed.  So we did an x-ray.  It turned out the fontanel was it's normal size it was just that the skin, or musle covering the area seemed harder.  It's been a long time so I don't really recall the exact reason it felt harder than it should have but the main thing was that her fontanel was still there.

Docs often say things like---just keep an eye on it.  Mostly I think to put your mind at ease that they take your concern seriously.  Instead of saying---oh that's silly why in the world would you worry about that?  Then shuttle you out of the office. 

[Eva62]

Nobody's head is perfect. We all have bumps and areas that are raised. One of the things that alerted me to my son's condition was that his left eye socket was being pushed closed due to the malformation. It was VERY obvious. Having just a small raised portion is really not a concern. My doctor told me that the majority of these children have it because their skull (The soft spot) prematurely closes which causes the malformation.  I would not worry about a small raised area. If we were all bald headed, we would see a lot more of these areas.

Eva

[ocloud]

Thanks eva - glad to hear how well your son has grown up!