Birthmark on lower spine, sacral dimple...help! *UPDATE* WITH PIC AND DR.'S OPINION

[Amila]

I am a little worried about my beautiful 1-week old DD. At her first check up the dr. noticed a very tiny sacral dimple with a small tuft (barely noticeable). It is very shallow, small, and close to her butt- he wasn't concerned and said worst case it will form a cyst.

Well I was looking at it today, and I noticed she also has a small "stork mark" about 2-3 inches up from the dimple, right on her spine. My understanding is that these could be signs of spinal issues? She has several other stork marks on her face...

I am going to call the doctor tomorrow, but I am freaking out a bit. She seems perfectly healthy otherwise and has no trouble moving her legs, sleeping, eating, etc. She is an angel baby really. Please help!

**UPDATE**

So of course the ped said it was nothing. He even said that upon closer examination he wouldn't even consider her dimple a true dimple and that the mark is just a stork bite like the ones on her face. Sigh. I want to rest assured, but...I am still worried. Do note that I am an over-worrier.

heres a pic:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45582209@N07/5139160915/

[SpottedFoxx]

I hope your doctor is able to give you some peace. My son had a "stork bite" on the top of his spine where it meets his head. We were never told that it could be indicative of spinal issues.

[kmitsch]

My Daughter was born with a stork bite on her forehead, back of neck and angel kiss over her one eye. All we were told, totally normal. She also had a birthmark at the base of her low back over the spine. told at birth this too, was nothing. This was a flat mark and looked just like a port wine.. not raised at all. It wasn’t until her 7 month check up that the provider (whom had not seen my child before) requested we get an MRI ASAP for her lumbar spine to check for spinal problems..Because of this birthmark. Specifically in our case they were looking to rule out tethered cord syndrome. I took her to a neurosurgeon (who specialized in these and other spine conditions) for a 2nd opinion and he too recommended I get the MRI ASAP. I was told that a dimple/hair tuft/birthmark, etc.. can be a possible marker for certain spinal conditions. Be that spina bifida Occulta (under the skin), tethered cord, or other. I was also told that 2 or more of these markers increases the chances. He told me not to be concerned with the one at the base of her scull/neck and didn’t consider it a 2nd marker. I would recommend getting your pediatrician to get an ultrasound now.. Being the baby is so young and her bones are a bit “see thru” so to speak, an ultrasound can give Docs some information on if a problem is there. It may turn into an MRI if they see anything suspicious, but I recommend getting it looked at. If your ped say's it’s not needed, I would get another opinion. Especially if there is a dimple and mark.. I also have a friend who's son had the sacral dimple.. he had to get MRIs each year until he was 3 and he is totally fine!. As is my daughter. many times these are totally nothing.. I have learned that thru my experiances. but its better to be safe.
There is a mom on this coumminuty that I hope comes by and she too will comment. Her Ped blew her off for a long time.. she in fact had an issue

[2boyzmama]

It is definitely worth mentioning to the Ped, possibly worth doing more tests, but NOT an emergency. No need to run in a panic to an after-hours appt.

A dimple, tuft of hair, and birthmark are all *possible* markers of a spinal issue, but are not definites!

Since she's so young, an ultrasound might be the first step. Sometimes MRIs are done if it's not clear on the ultrasound. The fact that she can move both legs, and poops/pees normally are really good!

[KatWrangler]

I already sent you a message on what I thought. We were told wrong by our Ped and I should of trusted my gut. My gut said something was wrong with Gabrielle and I was the correct one.

I have to go back at your Ped and say "For my peace of mind I would like an ultrasound or MRI done." If he refuses and your gut says something else, go get another opinion if you are able.

[KatWrangler]

That was me. Yep the Ped was messing with the wrong Mama.

Originally Posted by kmitsch

My Daughter was born with a stork bite on her forehead, back of neck and angel kiss over her one eye. All we were told, totally normal. She also had a birthmark at the base of her low back over the spine. told at birth this too, was nothing. This was a flat mark and looked just like a port wine.. not raised at all. It wasn’t until her 7 month check up that the provider (whom had not seen my child before) requested we get an MRI ASAP for her lumbar spine to check for spinal problems..Because of this birthmark. Specifically in our case they were looking to rule out tethered cord syndrome. I took her to a neurosurgeon (who specialized in these and other spine conditions) for a 2nd opinion and he too recommended I get the MRI ASAP. I was told that a dimple/hair tuft/birthmark, etc.. can be a possible marker for certain spinal conditions. Be that spina bifida Occulta (under the skin), tethered cord, or other. I was also told that 2 or more of these markers increases the chances. He told me not to be concerned with the one at the base of her scull/neck and didn’t consider it a 2nd marker. I would recommend getting your pediatrician to get an ultrasound now.. Being the baby is so young and her bones are a bit “see thru” so to speak, an ultrasound can give Docs some information on if a problem is there. It may turn into an MRI if they see anything suspicious, but I recommend getting it looked at. If your ped say's it’s not needed, I would get another opinion. Especially if there is a dimple and mark.. I also have a friend who's son had the sacral dimple.. he had to get MRIs each year until he was 3 and he is totally fine!. As is my daughter. many times these are totally nothing.. I have learned that thru my experiances. but its better to be safe.
There is a mom on this coumminuty that I hope comes by and she too will comment. Her Ped blew her off for a long time.. she in fact had an issue

[KatWrangler]

But the OP baby is a newborn. Gabrielle was 2 months old when we first noticed a decline in her legs (and I had suspicions of her bladder being a problem).

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

It is definitely worth mentioning to the Ped, possibly worth doing more tests, but NOT an emergency. No need to run in a panic to an after-hours appt.

A dimple, tuft of hair, and birthmark are all *possible* markers of a spinal issue, but are not definites!

Since she's so young, an ultrasound might be the first step. Sometimes MRIs are done if it's not clear on the ultrasound. The fact that she can move both legs, and poops/pees normally are really good!

[kmitsch]

The dimple is shallow for sure and I dont see hair growing out of that indent either.. the hair she has looks pretty much normal to me. I am not a doc but have done major research.. bottom line.. Once neurosurgeon edjucated me I knew getting the MRI (had no choice she was too old for ultrasound) was the right thing .. to be sure. I would request a 2nd opinion or demand an ultrasound.. its harmless to the baby and it will help put your mind at ease.. she does have a mark too and that would be considered a 2nd marker. from statistics I found the majority of dimples and marks are nothing more than they are something. It cant hurt to get another opinion either. Let me know what you end up doing. moving and having normal pees and what not are also good. .however.. kids dont show signs of problems until they start to grow. and if its tethering.. thats when the real problems start.. the cord should be moving free at the base but if its tethered and when they grow it acts like a rubber band .. cant stretch w/ their growth.. and casuses the symptoms.. but problem w/ that is these are not just symptoms that go away.. they are nerve damages that cant be reversed.. its better to just get the testing to be sure.

[anj_rn]

I would go back and ask for an ultrasound for your own peace of mind. It would be better to get the ultrasound done and find out now thet there could be a problem, than wait for symptoms to appear. The dimple id very shallow, but with the presence of other markers, I would not be willing to rule it out. I will also say that I am very aggressive when it comes to non-invasive tests for the purpose of diagnosis. I am much mor conservative with invasive procedures and treatments.

[Katie T]

I have a dimple there as well although mine is much deeper. I have spina bifida occulta and it used to cause me pain in my back but ever since my first pregnancy I have had no issues with it. I am also missing a vertebrae in my back. I have no clue if the 2 are connected. But to look at me I look and "work" like normal.

All of my kids have the same dimple as I but shallower and I am not worried about it. They have no other issues and my instinct isn't screaming at me.

I say trust you instinct on this one and ask for further testing if you feel it is needed.

Also in my birth records there is a note of my dimple but the dr never said a word to my mom and we didn't discover everything until I was in high school and having lots of back pain.

Feel free to ask me any question you may have.

[mrsfru]

DS1 has a sacral dimple that looks just like that, and his Dad and G'ma have them, too. 

He has a list of problems, but as an infant, hypotonia was one of the first dx's.  He had an ultrasound at about 5-6 mos old to rule out a tethered cord and such, and it was easy!

Trust your gut and push for the ultrasound if you want it.

GL!

mrsfru

[minkin03]

Originally Posted by KatWrangler 

I already sent you a message on what I thought. We were told wrong by our Ped and I should of trusted my gut. My gut said something was wrong with Gabrielle and I was the correct one.

I have to go back at your Ped and say "For my peace of mind I would like an ultrasound or MRI done." If he refuses and your gut says something else, go get another opinion if you are able.

I agree... better safe than sorry. I'm also a believer in going with your gut.
 

[DBZ]

My oldest has a large area called a stork bite where your child's mark is. She also has on on the back of neck where the spine meets the skull. She does have special needs but no spinal issues. My youngest had/has a mark very similiar to your childs, she also has a sacral dimple and was born with a tuft of hair where the dimple is. I don't think the stork bite has anything to do with anything, but the dimple and hair freaked me out. Turns out my gut was right. My daughter had a stroke in utero. The pediatrician at the hospital wasn't concerned about the dimple. He said there was no spinal tether or anything like that. We've had hip xrays since then to rule out anything wrong with her hips since her legs are so weak and there is nothing wrong with her lower back. Other little oddities with her at birth were that the ped said she was the strongest baby and my dd would cry when I put her in her car seat. Both are because she had just enough tightness in her muscles for the ped to miss it. 

[DBZ]

Oh I wanted to add that my DDs tuft of hair was about the size of an eraser on a pencil and the hair was course and longish like grown up leg hair. 

[AtYourCervices]

My 9 y/o has a dimple quite similar to the one in the picture. We took her in for an MRI. Everything turned out okay. She had some issues with delayed potty training, and she still has rare daytime accidents and wets the bed occasionally, but other than that, no big deal. My youngest daughter (3 y/o) also has a slight dimple. She, too has had issues with delayed potty training and occasional accidents. Again, I don't think that's too much of a problem.

I should mention my other two children don't have sacral dimples, and they potty trained early/on time with no accidents after potty training.

[KimPM]

Originally Posted by AtYourCervices 

My 9 y/o has a dimple quite similar to the one in the picture. We took her in for an MRI. Everything turned out okay. She had some issues with delayed potty training, and she still has rare daytime accidents and wets the bed occasionally, but other than that, no big deal. My youngest daughter (3 y/o) also has a slight dimple. She, too has had issues with delayed potty training and occasional accidents. Again, I don't think that's too much of a problem.

I should mention my other two children don't have sacral dimples, and they potty trained early/on time with no accidents after potty training.

This is an interesting connection.  My DS also has a dimple/depression similar to the one in the picture.  And just like the OP, a doc said his wasn't really a sacral dimple.  But -- he too had delayed potty training, and it took more than 1 year to get him largely accident-free during the day.  And he fills the pullup at night somewhere between 1/2 and 1/3 of the time.

[KimPM]

Have you seen this thread Re: sacral dimple and possible related issues:

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1032289/butt-dimples-aka-mid-line-issues-spun-off-from-tongue-tie-thread

[AtYourCervices]

Originally Posted by KimPM 

This is an interesting connection.  My DS also has a dimple/depression similar to the one in the picture.  And just like the OP, a doc said his wasn't really a sacral dimple.  But -- he too had delayed potty training, and it took more than 1 year to get him largely accident-free during the day.  And he fills the pullup at night somewhere between 1/2 and 1/3 of the time.

I had read before that having a sacral dimple is associated with delayed potty training. That's why I was never alarmed or surprised by my girls taking so long to potty train. While I still encouraged them to use the toilet I understood they couldn't always feel when they had to go until it was too late. So, if they had an accident I made sure to never shame them or insinuate that they could have avoided wetting themselves. 

[nicky85]

Originally Posted by Katie T 

I have a dimple there as well although mine is much deeper. I have spina bifida occulta and it used to cause me pain in my back but ever since my first pregnancy I have had no issues with it. I am also missing a vertebrae in my back. I have no clue if the 2 are connected. But to look at me I look and "work" like normal.

All of my kids have the same dimple as I but shallower and I am not worried about it. They have no other issues and my instinct isn't screaming at me.

I say trust you instinct on this one and ask for further testing if you feel it is needed.

Also in my birth records there is a note of my dimple but the dr never said a word to my mom and we didn't discover everything until I was in high school and having lots of back pain.

Feel free to ask me any question you may have.

My son has spina bifida myelomeningocele and he has a BIG birthmark and a tuft of hair where the lesion was and a dimple a little above his buttocks. Spina bifida occulta was my first thought too when I read about your daughter's case. I highly recommend finding a good pediatric chiropractor. www.icpa4kids.org is a really good place to look. My son has had amazing progress since we took him into a chiropractor. He has started moving his left foot and has demonstrated some feeling in his feet. Despite the doctors' predictions, he is functioning normally right now and is right on target developmentally. There are options!

[ciles]

I definitely automatically think of spina bifida occulta so I would have a ultrasound or a second opinion!