Newborn hematoma

[Jessviola]

I was just looking for stories from other mamas whose babies had hematomas at birth and how long it took to go away. My son is 11 days old and he still has one on his head that hasn't gone away yet. It hasn't shrunk noticeably either. He's nursing awesome and sleeps well and is very alert when awake. I guess I'm just looking to hear that somebody's BTDT or any suggestions to help it go away sooner. My instincts say that everything's fine, but it's starting to worry me.

[mwherbs]

sometimes they take a long time and sometimes they don't really go away. It can take weeks anyway- at 10 days I have seen some babies that are still quite jaundiced because of the hemotoma-

[Jessviola]

Thank you! It seems like everyone I talk to says it should have cleared up in a few days to a week.

[obnurse]

no way should it necessarily be cleared up by now! A true hematoma is a collection of blood under the skull bone (well sorta..not the true medical explanation). It can take WEEKS to clear up! Maybe the people you are speaking to are just referring to the much more common 'caput' or swelling. I have also heard of some hematomas that don't resolve. Sometimes the blood calcifies there! (although I think these are much smaller than a widespread hematoma)

I think you are wise thinking that everything is a-okay. Baby sounds like he/she is acting appropriately.

[watermamma]

My son (now 4) had one at birth. It was HUGE, at least to me. He was jaundiced (not too bad though, but we never tested levels or anything) for about 2 months, as his body "absorbed" it. It was caclified, but I am no longer able to find anything on his head now. It did take a long time to go away, but I was assured by his NP that he was just fine. It was kind of to the side of his head as well, and he looked pretty funny with his big ole cone head and the "extra" cone of the hematoma ;)

[2+twins]

My first dd had one too. I honestly don't remember how large it was or how long it took to go away. I do remember eventually cutting the scab that it left out of her hair (took me awhile to realize that it was just a loose scab at that point - I didn't want to mess with it). She was jaundiced because of it too, but only slightly and it only lasted a few days or so. My dd's was also off to the side a bit - her head was asynclitic at birth.

[loved]

Arnica. Arnica. Arnica.

I have seen it work really well - but we always apply it as soon as we see the baby has a hematoma (or caput, for that matter). Usually the swelling and bruising are gone within a week and 1/2.

Love that stuff!

[Jessviola]

Thank you all!

Watermama,
That's just what his looks like. He's a little yellow, but we had his bloodwork done just in case and it came back only slightly elevated so we're not worried about jaundice.

Jenne,
I'm afraid to touch the area too. I don't know why, I'm just afraid I'll somehow mess with it and cause a problem.

Loved,
Can you tell me more about using arnica to help it clear up? I really don't know anything about how to use it. Do you apply it topically?

[loved]

Yes - I have both a tincture and a gel. I use the gel on newborns, and the tincture on older babies - say after 5 days. Just dab with a cotton ball on the area.
It's o.k. to touch it gently. And send your loving thoughts of healing to that area! :love
There is also homeopathic arnica, but I am reluctant to give anything orally to a new baby. But it works wonders for all kinds of bumps, bruises, and traumas.

[Jessviola]

Thanks for the info! I'm going to try to make it out to the HFS later and look for it.

[Thmom]

A had a hematoma at birth it freaked me out lol but after finding out it was perfectly normal I started using arnica gel. He wad about 5 days old before I started treating it and I wasn't good about putting it on all the time...It took about 5 wks to clear up. He wore alot of hats :shy

[TXmidwife]

Arnica. Arnica. Arnica.

I have seen it work really well - but we always apply it as soon as we see the baby has a hematoma (or caput, for that matter). Usually the swelling and bruising are gone within a week and 1/2.

Love that stuff!

:nod Wish I had known about arnica with my 1st dd. She had 2 good-sized hematomas (1 temporal and 1 occipital) at birth. I honestly can't remember how long they stuck around, but I'm thinking that it was at least a couple of weeks. She was also VERY jaundiced (orange like a little pumpkin), but indirect sunlight and nursing, nursing, and more nursing will take care of that.

Also, you can use the homeopathic tablets topically if you can't find the gel. Just crush them up and add a little bit of water to make a paste.

[Jessviola]

Also, you can use the homeopathic tablets topically if you can't find the gel. Just crush them up and add a little bit of water to make a paste.

Thanks for the tip! I didn't make it out today, so I'm hoping to have a chance tomorrow. I guess it'll take a while at this point in either case since he's already 2 weeks old today.

[Jessviola]

I just thought I'd post an update.

I started putting arnica gel on it Tuesday night and Wednesday it already looked a little smaller (not sure how much was the gel and how much was coincidence) and I've kept applying it 1-2x daily and now 1 week later it's pretty much completely gone :) Thanks again for the advice!!!

[loved]

Yey! So glad.
Very, very cute baby.

[Jessviola]

thanks! :D