Skull fracture in 3 1/2 month old?

Question

Caregiver fell yesterday and my 3 1/2 month old son hit his head hard. Nurse line said not to worry but we could take him to the doc to check it out. We did. They sent us for an x-ray. Doc called this morning and said he has a skull fracture but not to worry because he is acting fine, eating, smiling, etc. Now we have a follow-up appt. with a neurosurgeon just to make sure everything is fine. Please let me know if you have ever had this happen, or have someone who has, what you did and how things turned out. I'm a new mom and scared and very angry right now.

Answer 1

Hi honey. I'm so sorry your baby is going through this. I would be so mad myself. But as others said, the caregiver didn't mean to fall, I know you are angry but it was nobody's fault. As for the fracture, babies have a very soft skull and most likely will heal on its own without any intervention. Look at any changes in him, vomiting, fever, sleepyness (more than usual), also if your baby is very active and seems like he's sad or not being active at all (and nap time is not close). He probably will be fine. We new mommies worry a lot, but who wouldn't, is the health of our babies - our lives!-after all. God bless.

Answer 2

What caused the caregiver to fall? And maybe it's time for a new caregiver; unless it was a fall she could not prevent.

At 3 1/2 month old, his skull is still soft, that is probably why the first doctor said not to worry. You are doing the right thing going for the follow up. I would recommend you keep a close watch on the baby, for a few months. Maybe mark the date of the accident on a calendar in case he starts having seizures at some point in the future.

And be reassured, it does not matter how old your baby is, the first time they fall is always the hardest on mom. My son was about 5 months old when he rolled off the bed, I almost had a heart attack. But he was fine and never had complications (he's 23 years old now).

Answer 3

Please do not be scared all is well. The baby will pull through. Make sure to give warm baths and take not of baby's behavior. The baby is fine. Thank God the baby is fine. Babies fall all the time and nothing really happens. Touch the part of the skull where the baby fell and if it is soft in comparison with the other parts of the skull do not worry. Tell the doctor. But there should be no effects. God help you miss. Do not be angry or scared

Answer 4

Actually , I had nearly the exact same expereince, except I was the one who fell while holding my daughter.
Obviously it was an accident, she was seven months at the time.
She sustained a small fracture at the back of her head. (I broke my wrist trying to catch her as I went down; it was caused by a rapid decrease in blood sugar so I sort of suddenly 'saw' myself going down.Still makes me shudder)
First of all, I'm sure the caregiver feels AWFUL. (If she doesn't she shouldn't be a caregiver!) And I doubt you could sue her; accidents happen, and the most careful, well intentioned human beings fall. She just happened to be caring for your child at her moment of misfortune. No reputable attorney would touch this, because the defense would be to question your judgement in who you left your child with. If it was on your property, it would be even worse for you.
But the most important thing- my girl had 2 Ct scans, visited the neurosurgeoun for safety's sake. She also followed up 3 and six months later.
She is now nine and has no lasting effects, but I'll never forget the terror of the experience. (She, on the other hand, has no recollection of it, of course!)
Just try to calm down, it's such a terrifying thing you've experienced. But your baby will be okay, and while if you are eanything like me you will still jump everytime you child bumps himself even nine years later, HE will not recall or suffer long term from the trauma. Realistically, he has probaby already forgotten it.
Stay calm for both of you, keep an eye on him. Let the neurosurgeon do a thorough evaluation.
Best of luck and well wishes.

Answer 5

I know a lady who had this happen to her daughter. She turned out fine. Because the babies are so young I believe that their skulls are still very soft. Plus with all the nutrients and growing that is going on they heal much faster than a older child. Keep a CLOSE eye on your son, get a new caregiver if you think she is unable to properly care for your son (like if she is too old, or you don't think she is careful enough)! If your sons eyes seem to act funny then take him in again and again, better safe than sorry.

Answer 6

Babies and infants bounce back much better than us adults. For one, their bones have not finished solidifying... they are initially more like cartilage.

Our (then) 3yo son got his hand smashed in the door jam while in the care of another mom. She described the initial site of his hand as smashed flat and it was all she could do to keep from loosing her lunch, it was so bad. He was taken to the Dr for xrays and everything turned out fine with out the Doctor doing anything.

Now I realize hand is much different than a fractured skull, but I try to tell this story to let you know that babies and infants at times seem to survive things just fine that would seem to kill us as adults.

I would say the main thing to do is watch for any change in his behavior. As long as the Dr. feels fine and you feel fine with son's behavior, everything will turn out fine, he will just need some time to heal.

Answer 7

Lestermount

Answer 8

That is sooo scary. Firstly though the carer didn't MEAN to fall - it could just have easily been you. Don't take it out on her - I bet she feels like hell. Secondly so long as your doctor is happy, and you are seeing a specialist, then try not to worry too much. Keep a close eye on baby though for ANY changes and get onto your doctor with the slightest worry.

I hope everything goes well for you and baby - good luck.

Answer 9

Hello:

Oh honey,I am so sorry to hear that this happened to your precious little baby! I don't want to upset you even more by saying this,but I would be mad as you-know-what! We are talking about a very tiny little baby,and this nurse line WAS WRONG! ANYTIME that a baby has had a serious fall like this one,they need to go to the emergency room ASAP,no matter how minor it may seem at the time for x-rays!

I am not trying to upset you,but I would sue the (Put your favorite cuss words here) out of the day care center and the director because people working with young babies HAVE TO BE CAREFUL!! I know people will say,"accidents will happen",but if you are clumsy,you shouldn't be carrying around babies,period end of story! I would also like to advise that you seek a lawyer about this,because your son could have permanent damage to his skull or to his brain,and this day care center IS RESPONSIBLE!!

DO NOT let this day care center try to sweet talk their way out of it,I would seek legal action against them for negligence! I am sorry if I sound harsh or mean,but this person and the day care center need to be held accountable for what happened,especially if your son were to have permanent brain damage because this caregive fell and your son hit his head hard enough to cause a skull fracture.

You,your son and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers,and PLEASE talk to a lawyer and KEEP COPIES OF EVERYTHING if your daycare center gave you any kind of accident report of what,"allegedly,"happened when your son had this horrific accident! You will need proof if you have to go to court about what the day care did or didn't say when this accident happened!

Answer 10

I'm so sorry to hear what happened and I hope everything turns out alright for you and your baby. I'd feel the same way if something like this happened to one of my kids.

Babies are usually pretty resilient but to be on the safe side but I suggest you set up a consultation with a lawyer in the event something should happen in the future as a result of this incident.