There is a bump on the baby's head

There are many types of situations when a baby has a lump on his head, which can be mainly divided into congenital and acquired factors. Generally, acquired factors are related to trauma and are easier to detect. If the baby has a lump on his head at birth, it mainly happens to babies born through normal delivery. It is a birth tumor and is caused by the baby being pinched in the birth canal. Let’s take a look at the reasons why a bump grows on a baby’s head.

A newborn baby has a lump on his head. This is common in babies born naturally. It is mainly because during the delivery process, the birth canal is squeezed, which makes the newborn baby's head not round but looks flat and long.

During the process of birth canal squeezing, two problems often occur: fetal head scalp edema (medically known as birth tumor) and fetal head scalp hematoma.

Neonatal scalp edema or hematoma is commonly encountered in neonatal clinical practice, but it is not intracranial hematoma. It will gradually subside with careful care. If the scalp edema is caused by compression at birth, it will generally subside within 1-2 weeks and will not last too long. Edema is the accumulation of water in the tissues. It feels soft to the touch, and there is a depression when pressed with the hand, but there is no obvious tenderness.

However, hematoma is not so easy to disappear. After 3-4 weeks, the lump is gradually absorbed, becomes smaller and harder. Some newborns may take longer, up to 4-6 months, to be absorbed and disappear. Generally, no treatment is required. Hematoma is blood stasis in the tissue. It feels hard and tender to the touch. It is mostly caused by malposition of the fetus, cephalopelvic disproportion, vacuum extraction, or forceps delivery. It is also related to the poor coagulation function of the newborn.

Therefore, parents do not need to panic when seeing a newborn baby with a "bump" on his head. Scalp edema and hematoma are caused during delivery and do not require any treatment and will heal on their own. Since hematoma is absorbed slowly, do not prick it with a needle or use a syringe to draw blood. This will instead cause infection due to the introduction of bacteria, leading to adverse consequences. If you really feel at ease

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