Causes of baby's skull protrusion

Babies grow up slowly from birth, and problems of one kind or another are inevitable during the growth process, which makes new mothers panic, fearing that their babies will have some abnormal conditions, and also afraid that their own poor care will cause some problems. One of the more common problems is the protruding skull of the baby. Once mothers find out, they are very uneasy because this part is too sensitive. Let’s talk about the problem of the baby’s head today.

The skull is composed of 6 bones. After the baby is born, the skull has not yet fully developed, so there are gaps between the bones, and two areas without bone coverage are formed on the top of the head and the back of the occipital bone, which are called the anterior fontanelle and the posterior fontanelle respectively.

Anterior fontanelle - Touch the baby along the midline of the top of the head, and you will find that the baby's skull has an opening in the front and back. They feel soft, and the front one is called the anterior fontanelle, which is diamond-shaped. It is the largest bone suture intersection on the skull. Because there is no bone here, it is slightly sunken and softer than other parts, and it will vibrate slightly when touched. Six months after the baby is born, the anterior fontanelle becomes smaller as the skull sutures gradually ossify. It closes and is replaced by bone by the baby's first year old, or no later than 18 months.

Bulging fontanelle

*The anterior fontanelle was originally flat. If it suddenly bulges up, especially when the baby is crying, and feels tight when touched, and is accompanied by fever, vomiting, or even convulsions, it means that the baby's intracranial pressure is increased. Usually, increased intracranial pressure is caused by intracranial infection, and the baby may be suffering from various diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis.

*If the baby's anterior fontanelle gradually becomes fuller, it may be that there is a tumor in the brain, or there is fluid, pus, blood, etc. under the dura mater.

*Taking large doses of cod liver oil, vitamin A or tetracycline for a long time can make the baby's anterior fontanelle appear full. However, after stopping the use of vitamin A and tetracycline, the anterior fontanelle will gradually become flat.

*If your baby is given epinephrine for some reason and the medication is suddenly stopped, the baby's anterior fontanelle may appear full.

The above mentioned a common reason for the protrusion of the baby's skull, the problem of the anterior fontanelle. If this problem occurs, you must seek help from a doctor, because this is not a small problem, so you must pay attention to observation when taking care of the baby, so that you can find out the differences between the baby and usual, so that you can discover and deal with it early.