my h.v said to monitor my 12wk old baby's fontanele as it's only a finger space wide & may close,why is this?

Question

i foster a baby who has a fracturd scull.doctors say it's healing ok.Only my health visitor seemed concerned that her soft spot was extremely tiny & said to monitor it as it could close too early. she could hardly find it.what does it mean if it closes?what will happen to her?will she be in any pain?is there any thing that could be done?whats the worst case senario?will it be an ongoing,long term problem for her?please can you give all the info you can. thanks

it is unknown how she had gotten her fractured scull, which is why she is in my care.she is smiling now and seems quite content and is able to be left to sit in her bouncer and play mat.Iv'e known my h.v for many years and she infact is very nice and good at her job,but thanks for the concern that she may be feeding me with nonsense.She was just saying that her soft spot was only a finger nail size which is not normal for this age so to monitor it,she knows i'm a worrier,which is why she didnt elaborate it.the worry got the better of me and so i've now read up on more info i found on the net and the story below too (thank you) and will now be taking her to the doctor asap,as the fontanele is meant to stay open till approx 1yr -2yr.as i said she's only 13wks now.at least i understand it beter now.

also she is very small for age as she was premature by 5 wks,she is growing normally but her head is actually quite small this may just be that she was early but hopefully the doctor will rule some things out anf things will be good for the baby. thanks for all the answers.

Answer 1

I'm sure your doctor will be monitoring it closely. I'm not sure that your case could be different since the baby had a skull fracture, but I'll try to tell you about my situation. They check the soft spots because a baby's skull is made up of different sections. There are several sutures that fuse together later to allow for brain growth. My doctor noticed a ridge running down my sons forhead at his 2 month well child visit as well as a small soft spot. He told us to go see a specialist because he was concearned that one of his sutures may have fused prematurely. We did go see a specialist and my son was diagnosed with craniosynostosis. This is the name of the condition where the sutures fuse prematurely. This can in turn lead to an abnormal head shape, and if left untreated can lead to other problems down the road. My son just had surgery to correct this 2 and a half weeks ago (he is now 6 months old) He's doing wonderfully and this should be the only surgery he ever needs and should develop right on track. He is just like any other 6 month old.

Now, with that said, I'm not a doctor, and what you described could be different since you are dealing with a skull fracture. But at the same time, the soft spot closing could be completely unrelated. That is why it's so important to talk to the doctor. I'm just telling you what happened with my son and why they often check the soft spot, to check for this premature closure.

If I were you, I would call the doctor, tell him what your health visitor said, and see what the doctor says. This may ease your mind, but it will also bring this to the doctors attention to make sure it is closely watched.

Once you talk to the doctor, you will have more information. It sounds like right now you are just running every scenario through your head. Talking to the doctor, even if it's just over the phone until your next visit should help a little.

Hope this helps a little. I don't know if it does.

Answer 2

actually it is ok if the soft spot heals up that mean the fracture is also healing. all baby's are different so the size of it is not a big concern unless it was half the size of her head. because she was premature her soft spot will be smaller in size, like she is. i have never heard of a soft spot " closing too early". my daughters closed up at about 3 months and thank god because she is accident prone and hits her big head on everything!! maybe she is just a quick healer. if you are really concerned then take her to a pediatrician and i hate to say this because it sounds like you really trust your health visitor, but a pediatrician is trained to look at every worry us mothers have. good luck and i give you props for being a foster mother. we need more people like that in the world.

Answer 3

It can be normal for the soft spot to be closing this early but it can also be abnormal and your HV is right to monitor this although it would have been nicer if she could have explained her concerns to you!

I see someone has mentioned the condition craniosynostosis and you have probably read a bit about it by now.

As well as seeing your Dr for advice I would get back in touch with the HV and explain your fears. Hopefully all will be well but you need her help and support and if she's any good at her job she explain better in future.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I don't know what on earth she was talking about,what is a health visitor anyway,a nurse,a nurse's assistant? Some people are just full of crap and try to sound like they know what they're talking about. I suggest asking a DOCTOR. I'm a nurse and you wouldn't believe some of the things I've heard other nurses and aides say.(Not ALL nurses,mind you...but one bad apple....) She probably had instructions to check his skull and didn't know what else to say or check for.

Answer 5

This is totally normal. It is there so that the skull can compress during birth. Perhaps this was not as needed for your baby. I think people panic over everything and cause new moms so much unneccesary worrying. If your baby is healthy and happy you're doing great.

Answer 6

I would tell the health visitor they aren't a doctor, then call your doctor's office and ask for specifics when it comes to the soft spot. Also you can look up on the Web for information as to when it should be closing.

Answer 7

If it closes to early then her growing brain won't have room to grow and she'll have all kinds of problems. The good news is that there are treatments for it. Keep watching carefully and hope for the best. How did she fracture it to begin with?

Answer 8

Consult with a doctor that specializes in that. Ask a peditrician. To give you help on this. That is a very touch and go subject. Ask hundreds of questions find someone that will listen. Get another opinion.

Answer 9

something that serious I would just take advice from a Doctor wow! Good Luck oh and I must say what I mean by that is a Doctor knows more than we do but we all do have good answers so don't get me wrong, your just doing what you have to do k. :)

Answer 10

I think it's normal as longest she's happy,her soft spot should be completely close when she is 1yr old