Where is the fontanelle?

After a baby is born, many parents will find that there is a 4-5 cm area on the top of the baby's head. It is soft and jumps with the baby's breathing. This is the fontanelle, also commonly known as the Huda gate by many elderly people. The fontanelle will continue to develop after the baby is born and will slowly close. During this process, you must pay attention to protecting the baby's fontanelle.

Where is the fontanelle? Many parents see a place on the top of their child’s head that often jumps and feels soft, as if there is no skull, so they dare not touch it. In fact, these are two boneless "skylights" on the top of the baby's head when he is born. The "skylight" or "fontanelle" that people often refer to mainly refers to the anterior fontanelle. The fontanelle is a part of the skull that has not yet grown together, not a missing bone. Despite this, it is actually much stronger than it looks. The outer protective film is strong enough to handle normal touch, and daily care such as washing hair and cutting hair will not harm the child's brain.

Abnormal conditions of the fontanelle 1. Bulging fontanelle The baby's front fontanelle was originally flat. If it suddenly bulges out, especially when the baby is crying, and feels tight when touched, and is accompanied by fever, vomiting, or even convulsions, it means that the baby's intracranial pressure is increased. Usually, increased intracranial pressure is caused by intracranial infection, and the baby may be suffering from various diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis. If the baby's anterior fontanelle becomes gradually fuller, it may be due to a brain tumor, or subdural effusion, pus, or blood accumulation, etc.; taking large doses of cod liver oil, vitamin A, or tetracycline for a long time, or using epinephrine for some reason and suddenly stopping the medication, can also cause the baby's anterior fontanelle to appear full. However, after discontinuation of vitamin A and tetracycline, the anterior fontanelle will gradually become flatter.

2. A sunken fontanelle is mainly caused by a lack of water in the baby's body. For example, if you fail to replenish water in time after diarrhea, or if you use large doses of dehydrating agents to reduce intracranial pressure, the anterior fontanelle may become sunken. It should be pointed out that at this time, the mother should replenish the baby with water in time, because excessive dehydration will cause metabolic disorders in the body. The anterior fontanelle of malnourished and thin babies will often be sunken. 3. If the fontanelle closes prematurely or late, the baby's head circumference must be measured. If the head circumference is lower than the normal value, it may be due to brain maldevelopment. But for some babies with normal bodies, the anterior fontanelle is only the size of a fingertip when they are 5-6 months old, and seems to be closing. In fact, it has not ossified, and you should ask a doctor to identify it; delayed closure of fontanelle mainly means that the baby is over 18 months old, but the anterior fontanelle has not closed. It is more common in rickets and cretinism. Only a few are caused by hydrocephalus or other reasons for increased intracranial pressure. You should go to the hospital for further examination. 4. The fontanelle is too large or too small. A fontanelle that is too large generally means that the anterior fontanelle reaches a size of 4-5 cm shortly after the baby is born. The possible reasons why the fontanelle is too large are, firstly, that the baby has congenital hydrocephalus, and secondly, it may be caused by congenital rickets. When babies with congenital hydrocephalus are born, their heads are squeezed when passing through the birth canal, so the fontanelle is not large when they are just born. But usually within a few days after birth, the anterior fontanelle will gradually grow larger. Babies with congenital rickets not only have a large anterior fontanelle, but also a large posterior fontanelle. The middle suture (sagittal suture) is also wider, connecting the front and back fontanelles.

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