Head
This is big in proportion to the rest of his body and, depending on how he was born,
may be a bit oddly-shaped for various reasons:
- If he was born normally, in the first day or two his head may have a slightly oval shape
from where it was moulded as he came through the birth canal. This usually disappears
within the first week
- Occasionally, babies are born with a slight swelling on the back or side of their heads,
usually due to lying in an awkward position in the birth canal. Depending on what type of
swelling it is, it may go down within 24 hours, or it may take a few weeks to disappear
- If your baby was born with the help of forceps,
the sides of his head might be a bit bruised or marked. This will gradually go away
- If ventouse
was used to assist his birth, he may have a cup-shaped bump on the top of his head, or a
blister which will go down within a couple of days
- If he was born by Caesarean,
his head will look more rounded
The bones that make up your baby’s skull aren’t yet joined together, and
there are two soft spots (fontanelles) on the top of his head where the bones don’t
meet. It is quite normal to be able to see his pulse beating under his scalp at these soft
spots.
His nose may a bit squashed and his ears may be folded forwards. They will straighten
out by themselves in a few days.
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