Baby Body Signs: The Head-to-Toe Guide to Your Child's Health, from Birth Through the Toddler Years - Softcover

Liebmann-Smith PhD, Joan; Egan, Jacqueline

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553385658 ISBN 13: 9780553385656

Verlag: Random House Publishing Group, 2010

Inhaltsangabe

From blue birthmarks to bulging belly buttons, dimpled ears to double eyelashes, this indispensable guide will teach you how to interpret the “body signs” that are important clues to your baby’s health.
 
Like most parents, you probably notice—and often worry about—every little change in your growing baby. Why is one of his pupils bigger than the other? What’s that bald spot on her head? Why is he walking on tippy toes? Drawn from the latest research and reviewed by a panel of pediatricians and other medical experts, Baby Body Signs will answer these and other troubling questions. You’ll also learn
 
• when snoring is normal and when it’s a sign of sleep apnea
• what type of freckles may signal a rare genetic disorder
• how a simple baby photo can help uncover an eye tumor
• when swollen breasts in babies are a sign of a hormonal problem
 

Baby Body Signs will help you decide when to call the pediatrician and when to relax and stop worrying. What’s more, it’s packed with fascinating facts about child health—from how in medieval Europe babies were expected to talk when they had all their teeth to the fact that the ears are the first part of the body to reach full size. As entertaining as it is informative, this is the book you’ll want to keep close at hand throughout your baby’s infancy and toddler years.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Joan Liebmann-Smith, PhD is a medical sociologist and award-winning medical writer. Her articles have appeared in American Health, Ms., Newsweek, Redbook, Self, and Vogue, and she has appeared on numerous television talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Today Show. She has a daughter, Rebecca, a cat, Fazelnut, and lives with her husband, Richard—also a writer—in New York City.


Jacqueline Nardi Egan is a medical journalist who specializes in developing and writing educational programs with and for physicians, allied health professionals, patients, and consumers. She is also a former medical editor of Family Health magazine. She has a daughter, Elizabeth, two dogs, Coco and Abby, and divides her time between Darien, Connecticut, and Sag Harbor, New York.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Chapter One


YOUR BABY’S HEAD

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes
And Nod is a little head
And the wooden shoe
That sailed the skies
Is a wee one’s trundle bed.—Eugene Field,

“Wynken, Blynken, and Nod”

The top of the head is usually the first part of a newborn’s body to greet his or her parents. Next comes the face, which new parents tend to carefully scrutinize, seeking signs of familiar family traits. But a baby’s head looms large not only emotionally but physically as well. Indeed, a normal newborn’s head is disproportionately large compared to the rest of his or her body, taking up about of the body’s length.

An infant’s head is a remarkable piece of anatomy. The skull of the average baby is made up of 7 separate soft, pliable bones called head plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and are connected by fibrous membranes called cranial or skull sutures. There are spaces between the bones where the sutures intersect, which are medically known as fontanelles (also spelled fontanels), and more commonly called soft spots.

A newborn baby has 6 of these soft spots, located at the top, sides, and back of the head, but only 2 are noticeable—a large diamond-shaped one at the top of the head (anterior fontenelle) and a tiny triangular one at the back of the head (posterior fontanelle).

Both skull sutures and fontanelles play critical roles during pregnancy and after birth. During pregnancy they expand, allowing the baby’s developing skull to grow. They also give the baby’s skull the necessary flexibility to make the sometimes treacherous journey headfirst through the mother’s narrow birth canal. Then, after the infant is born, they enable the skull to expand to make room for the baby’s rapidly growing brain. Finally, the membranes covering the fontanelles protect the vulnerable brain.

Many parents worry needlessly about touching their babies’ soft spots because they believe these spots are very delicate and that their babies’ brains are prone to injury. But the membranes covering a baby’s fontanelles are, in fact, extremely tough and quite impenetrable. And underneath the soft spots, fluid surrounds and protects the brain.

The size of a baby’s soft spots and when they close vary tremendously. On average the one on the back of the head (posterior) is smaller— usually less than inch wide—and it typically closes when the baby is between 1 and 2 months old. The fontanelle on top of the head (anterior) is about 1 inch wide, and it tends to close between the ages of 7 and 19 months. Interestingly, this fontanelle sometimes increases in size during the first few months. The fontanelles of boys tend to close before those of girls.

Bulging Soft Spots

Q: Our baby’s soft spot on the top of her head sometimes bulges out. Should we worry?

A: It’s not unusual for a baby’s soft spots to bulge when he or she is lying down, crying, or vomiting, but when the baby is picked up and calmed down, the bulging should disappear. If your baby has a soft spot that always bulges, it may be a warning sign of several serious conditions. For example, a bulging soft spot can signal an excess intake of vitamin A. Other signs of vitamin A excess may include drowsiness and vomiting.

A bulging fontanelle can also be a warning sign of increased pressure in the baby’s brain from infections such as meningitis, encephalitis, or even Lyme disease. Or it may signal an endocrine, metabolic, or cardiovascular disorder; a brain tumor; or hydrocephalus, which is more commonly called “water on the brain” (see Large Soft Spots and A Large Head, below). Although a baby with these conditions is likely to have other more serious signs, it’s still important to report a bulging soft spot to your baby’s doctor as soon as possible.

Sunken Soft Spots

Q: I heard that if your baby’s soft spots are sunken, you should bring him to the emergency room. Is that true?

A: Not always. Sunken fontanelles may be totally normal and nothing to worry about. But they can also be a danger sign of serious dehydration, especially in a baby who has, or recently had, diarrhea and/or vomiting. Other signs of dehydration include sunken eyes, lack of skin elasticity, decreased urine output, and lethargy. Dehydration in a baby is life-threatening and requires emergency treatment.

An Extra Soft Spot

Q: Our infant son seems to have 3 soft spots. Is this normal?

A: As mentioned earlier, only 2 of a baby’s 6 fontanelles are usually apparent. If you notice a third one between the one on top and the one on the back of the head, it may signal hypothyroidism (see Large Soft Spots, below), which, if untreated, can lead to growth retardation, mental disability, and other serious medical problems. The good news is that hypothyroidism, which used to be a major cause of mental retardation, is easily treated when caught early. It’s normally detected by the heel prick blood test that’s done routinely just after birth.

A third fontanelle is also sometimes found in infants with Down syndrome, but other more noticeable and recognizable facial signs are usually present with this genetic disorder.

Large Soft Spots

Q: The soft spot on the top of my daughter’s head is much larger than the spots were on my other kids’ heads. What does this mean?

A: If your baby seems to have a soft spot that looks excessively wide, it may be nothing more than a residual reminder that she was born prematurely, had a low birth weight, or was small for her gestational age. But enlarged fontanelles can also indicate the delayed closure of the skull bones, which may be an early warning sign of a number of serious disorders including hypothyroidism (see An Extra Soft Spot, above) and rickets. Rickets, a bone disease caused by vitamin D and calcium deficiencies, can cause growth retardation, soft bones, and bowlegs (see Chapter 7). Both nutritional conditions are medically treatable.

Large soft spots can be a warning sign of another bone disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, aka brittle bone syndrome (see Chapter 7). This genetic condition often results in multiple bone fractures in babies and small children. Other early signs may include blue or gray sclera (whites of the eyes), discolored teeth, and easy bruising. Although brittle bone disease is not curable, there are effective treatments for it, including medication, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.

A wide soft spot sometimes signals hydrocephalus (see Bulging Soft Spots, above, and A Large Head, below). Although many babies with this condition also have enlarged heads, it’s not always the case. Hydrocephalus can be a very serious condition requiring immediate medical attention.

Large soft spots can also be a sign of several genetic conditions, including Down syndrome and achondroplasia, which results in dwarfism as well as other head, facial, and body abnormalities. The signs of these genetic disorders are usually immediately apparent at birth or soon after.

Small or Missing Soft Spots

Q: I don’t think our baby has any soft spots. Is that possible?

A: If you can’t feel your infant’s soft spots, or if they’re barely noticeable, it can be a sign that your baby’s head plates have fused prematurely. Medically known as craniosynostosis, this is a congenital disorder (present at birth). Although its cause is unknown, it’s thought to have a genetic component.

A baby with craniosynostosis may also have a misshapen head (see Misshapen Heads in Older Babies, below) or a small head, referred to as...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Random House Publishing Group
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2010
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0553385658
• ISBN 13: 9780553385656
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 272
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar