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Child Has Swelling On Head Since Birth. Will It Disappear?
Question: My son was born on 21 July this year. Now is about 7 weeks old. Normal delivery, no vacuum or forceps. There's a little swollen at the right side of his head since he was born. Initially My gynae told me it will disappear at 2 weeks. But until now it is still there, but it doesn't grow bigger. Will it disappear or it will be there forever? Can I massage it so that it will be smaller? Is this an injury caused during delivery?
Dear XXXXXXX
Thank you for posing your query on this site. It seems most likely that the bump on your baby's head is a cephalhematoma-which means, literally, a blood clot on the head. This is one of the most common types of injury that can occur even during the course of a normal delivery.
The problem occurs because, under pressure that occurs when the head descends down the birth canal, the tissue between the skull bones and their thin coverings undergoes shearing stresses that breaks the thin blood vessels and leads to a limited bleeding that is restricted to the boundaries of the underlying skull bone. These.bumps take about 1 to 2 months to subside and not 2 weeks for sure.
I therefore counsel you not to worry. Please do NOT massage this lump. Out may cause more internal bleeding. Just leave it alone.
With best wishes,
Dr. Taher
That is it for the moment. If you need any more information, feel free
Thank you for posing your query on this site. It seems most likely that the bump on your baby's head is a cephalhematoma-which means, literally, a blood clot on the head. This is one of the most common types of injury that can occur even during the course of a normal delivery.
The problem occurs because, under pressure that occurs when the head descends down the birth canal, the tissue between the skull bones and their thin coverings undergoes shearing stresses that breaks the thin blood vessels and leads to a limited bleeding that is restricted to the boundaries of the underlying skull bone. These.bumps take about 1 to 2 months to subside and not 2 weeks for sure.
I therefore counsel you not to worry. Please do NOT massage this lump. Out may cause more internal bleeding. Just leave it alone.
With best wishes,
Dr. Taher
That is it for the moment. If you need any more information, feel free
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
What if the bump takes longer than 2 months to subside or it does not subside at all? What can I do?
If my presumption about the nature of the swelling is correct, then, the swelling should subside as I have said. However, if the presumption is not correct, and this is a possibility as I have not seen the baby or the lump, then I cannot prognosticate about the swelling.
What I would suggest is, that in such a case, it might be better to show a pediatrician on a non-urgent basis and let them decide if any further tests are warranted. There may be a call to send the baby for an ultrasound, a CT scan, or an MRI based on what the doctor surmises the swelling could be due to. If, however, his diagnosis concurs with mine, he/she may also advise you not to do anything but wait.
With best wishes for a speedy resolution of the problem,
Dr. Taher
P.S. Please excuse the incomplete answer at the end of the previous answer. I was typing the answer from my Android mobile, and was unable to type in the last few words, which were "feel free to revert to me".
What I would suggest is, that in such a case, it might be better to show a pediatrician on a non-urgent basis and let them decide if any further tests are warranted. There may be a call to send the baby for an ultrasound, a CT scan, or an MRI based on what the doctor surmises the swelling could be due to. If, however, his diagnosis concurs with mine, he/she may also advise you not to do anything but wait.
With best wishes for a speedy resolution of the problem,
Dr. Taher
P.S. Please excuse the incomplete answer at the end of the previous answer. I was typing the answer from my Android mobile, and was unable to type in the last few words, which were "feel free to revert to me".
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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