These badges of birth include lumps and bruises from forceps, unintentional superficial cuts from the surgeon’s scalpel, swelling from pressure, overlapping skull bones (this is an intentional allowance made by nature to help the baby’s head fit through the pelvis) and blood spots called petechiae. All these disappear on their own.
A nasty bump called a cephalhaematoma looks worse than it really is. This is a slight bleed into the skin covering the skull bone and is limited to where one bone joins another. Because it takes a few weeks for this lump to disappear, simply cover it with a beanie and people will stop asking questions!
Babies have extra-ordinarily big heads (25% of their body size) with big appealing eyes – like Caspar the friendly ghost. This helpless and alluring look tugs at our heart-strings and makes us reach out to babies in all circumstances. The skull is custom-designed to accommodate your baby’s fast growing brain which will be 95% adult size by the time s/he is six! At every clinic visit, the nursing sister/ doctor/paediatrician will measure your baby’s head diameter and record the growth. S/he will also check the fontanelles (soft spots) during the first year. This will ensure that any changes are picked up early and potential complications avoided or minimised.
Parents should be on the look-out for changes to their baby’s cry, body language, colour, muscle tone and sucking reflex. Learn to listen to your instincts because mothers know best. If your doctor tells you that you a neurotic mother and waves your concerns aside, ask for another opinion. The only person who has written the text book for your child is you and you know your child best! An invaluable lesson to learn at the start of your parenting career!
