The fontanel of the newborn: beware of the little head
The baby's head is undoubtedly one of the most delicate parts of his body: at birth, the bones of the baby's skull are not yet welded and are softer and more flexible than those of adults. And we often hear about the fontanel of newborns either we are told to be careful when we hold him or touch his head.
Fontanelles of the newborn, what are they
The development of the baby's skull is completed only after birth, during the first year of life . In the skull, the bones are separated by a line called a suture; at the point where two or more sutures meet, a space is created, called the fontanel , consisting of a flexible and resistant fibrous membrane.
The fontanelles are very important because they guarantee the baby's head the necessary elasticity to cross the birth canal and, during the baby's first year of life, their flexibility allows the brain to have all the space it needs to develop. The number of fontanelles can vary from six to eight, but the most important in terms of size are two, both placed along the midline of the skull:
· The anterior fontanel: it has a rhomboid shape of about 5 centimeters in width and is easy to identify by touch. It is located at the top of the head at the junction of the sagittal and coronal sutures; it generally closes around the 18th month of the baby's life.
· The posterior fontanel: it has a triangular shape and is smaller than the anterior fontanel (1.5 centimeters), therefore a little more difficult to identify. It is located in the back of the head, between the occipital and parietal bones and closes around the 6th-8th week of life.
Until the fontanelles are completely welded, it is necessary to treat the baby's head with caution and attention, although it must be remembered that the fontanelles are still elastic and resistant. For this reason, you should not be too afraid to touch the baby's head, or to wash and comb it in moments dedicated to daily care.
Early closure of the fontanel
Sometimes early or late closure of the anterior fontanel can signal a health problem for the baby.
In fact, if the circumference of the baby's head grows within normal limits and if his psychomotor development proceeds correctly, a closure that does not occur within the average time should not worry excessively, even if it is always good to contact the pediatrician. In some cases, the too early closure of the anterior fontanel can compromise the normal growth of the skull causing a pathology that takes the name of craniostenosis, for which surgery is generally necessary.
An excessively late closure could instead be the signal of particular deficiencies, such as vitamin D) or even very serious pathologies such as
Hydrocephalus , i.e. an increase in fluid and therefore intracranial pressure, which causes an abnormal increase in the size of the skull,
Rickets, ie insufficient calcification of the bones that can cause yielding or deformity of the bones themselves, to be verified by blood tests;
· Cleido-cranial dysostosis a rare congenital disease, in which the malformation also affects the clavicle.
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