Marie, my baby was born 5 days ago, and yesterday a bump appeared on the side. When I called the clinic, a nurse told me that it happens a lot, but didn’t explain what it was. What is it, and will it disappear? Do I need to do anything? Thanks for your help from a worried mom, Suzanne

Hello Suzanne, in fact, there can be many types of bumps on a baby’s head after being born or a couple of days later. We often see caput succedaneum and cephalohematoma.

Caput succedaneum is an accumulation of liquid under the surface of the baby’s scalp which doesn’t follow the skull sutures. This bump is not dangerous and usually disappears on its own after a couple of days.

Cephalohematoma refers to an accumulation of blood in a deeper part of the skull, under the sutures. The bump is soft, often on the side of their head (parietal side of the head) and delineated by the skull sutures and fontanels (the contours follow the skull bone junction lines). Cephalohematoma takes longer to disappear (several months) but is not dangerous for the baby either.

When I worked as a nurse, I often suggested to parents who had a baby with a bump on their head to see an osteopath. They can help reposition the skull bones and reduce possible tensions accompanying this phenomenon. The bump appears because the head was squeezed during birth or was poorly positioned. It’s helpful to assist nature if we can. It won’t harm the baby and may make a big difference in their wellbeing.

Dans ma pratique, je suggère souvent aux parents dont leur bébé présente une bosse à la tête, de voir une ostéopathe pour aider le repositionnement des os du crâne …..

Suzanne, I hope this help!

Talk soon,

Marie

The Baby Expert