As is known, the skull bones of a newborn are elastic and not connected to each other. Between them is a soft connective tissue, which allows the head of the newborn to change its shape. This is necessary to ensure that during childbirth the baby is easier to go through the birth canal. That is why the shape of the head during childbirth often takes an oblong form, which frightens some newly mums. But we hurry to reassure them, it will not always be so and after a few days the head will become a familiar round shape.
Many more mothers are concerned about the fontanel of the newborn, namely, its size and closure time. In this article we will try to answer these questions, and also take a closer look at all the nuances related to fontanel in newborns.
What is fontanel?
Spring is a special place on the head of a newborn, in which there are three or more bones. This place is covered with a connective tissue. The neonatal rodney exists for the size of the head to grow. In the first year of life, the child is actively growing his brain, and, accordingly, he needs more space.
Also, through the fontanel, if necessary, you can conduct a survey, which is called neurosonography. With his help, you can examine the child's brain for tumors, bleeding, the effects of various injuries, without harming the newborn. In addition, the fontanel of newborns serves as a thermoregulator, and at a high temperature in a baby it helps the brain lose heat. And, of course, the fontanel acts as a shock absorber when the child strikes his head.
Far from each of us knows how many fontanelles can be in newborns. And they, it turns out, can be as many as six! But not all of them can be well probed, even if the child was born on time. Most children they grow up just a few days after birth. And there are, as a rule, only two fontanel.
A small fontanel is located in the newborn at the back of the head. It often happens that this fontanel has time to grow even before birth. But in preterm babies he is always palpable. The period of overgrowing of the small fontanel can be 2-3 months.
A large fontanel in newborns is located on the vertex. He grows up much later than a small one, often a year. But it can happen in 6-7 months, and maybe in 1.5-2 years. Too early or too late overgrowth of a large fontanel in a newborn can tell the doctor about the presence of certain problems in the baby.
The size of the large fontanel can vary considerably. And minor deviations from the norm are completely permissible. On the average, the fontanel size of newborns is 2х3 cm.
Mom should know that the fontanel in the newborn often pulsates. And it does not need to be frightened at all, it's normal. The ripple of the fontanel is an outward manifestation of the child's heartbeat. Physiologically, it looks like this: the human brain is surrounded by fluid (cerebrospinal fluid), and when cerebral vessels pulsate, this pulsation is transferred to the cerebrospinal fluid, which in turn passes it to the fontanel. The latter we observe in infants. Therefore, the pulsation of the fontanel in newborns is absolutely normal. And not her presence should bother
What does the fontanel look like?
Now we will discuss the appearance of the fontanel in a newborn. In a normal state, the fontanel should protrude slightly above the surface of the head. Sometimes it happens that the fontanel of newborns has fallen. This is the reason to see a doctor. The hollow fontanel in newborns can be caused by dehydration of the body. This is often manifested during illness, which is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea and high fever. To guard parents must and strongly protruding fontanel. Perhaps this is caused by increased intracranial pressure, and also do not postpone the trip to the doctor.
The neonatal delivery does not require special care. It can be wetted, touching it with your fingers. But his condition should be closely monitored. It can help in time to identify the disease and contribute to timely treatment.