Are Mongolian blue spots an unknown thing?

[Mrsknackered]

Both of my DS's have Mongolian blue birthmarks. DS1 has a completely blue bottom and DS2 has a blue bum cheek and at the top of his spine, a circular blue spot the size of a 2p.
They are noted down in their red books.
At swimming last night, a lady was sitting near us in the shallow end and kept giving me a funny look. She then said, 'think you've been holding wee man a bit tightly!' So I was like 'sorry, what?' And she pointed at his back and said 'that's a nasty bruise for such a young bubba!' (DS2 is 5 months)
I got really embarrassed as I can be a bit wimpy and awkward and explained it's a birth mark but she just kinda 'mmm'ed me!
I felt awkward after and wondered if others had noticed it too and also thought he was bruised :(
Are they not a known about? Should I be making nurseries/schools aware of their birthmarks?

Second AIBU of the week! What's happening to me

DD's is still there and she's 7. I remember telling her childminders about them and getting a look. There is no SE Asian ancestry in our family...

A lot of people aren't aware of them. They do look like bruises i would make nursery aware so they don't panic if they see them. My daughter has a funny red spotty one in her hair and people always think she's banged her head. The amount of times I've said no its a birth mark is crazy.

Both DTs had a blue 'tail bone'. DT2 also had a blue ankle bone. It's an asian thing.

I think because they are hidden by the nappy (normally, DT2's was in a strange place) it can be somewhat alarming when they are discovered. Particularly, as my HV mentioned, a bruised bum is trigger sign for intentional harm as it is easy to hide.

As long as anyone that will innocently see it knows in advance there is no problem. DT's went quite late - about 5yrs.

A little girl at the school I worked at in really quite "vanilla" north London had several on her back and bottom. None of the nursery teachers, assistants, school nurse or Headmistress had seen / heard of them before. Head had been a teacher for over 30 years but in also-very-vanilla Hertfordshire. The mum came in to explain, it was one of the good outcomes to a safeguarding question being raised. I think school and other child safeguarding courses should include it maybe.

A little girl at the school I worked at in really quite "vanilla" north London had several on her back and bottom. None of the nursery teachers, assistants, school nurse or Headmistress had seen / heard of them before. Head had been a teacher for over 30 years but in also-very-vanilla Hertfordshire. The mum came in to explain, it was one of the good outcomes to a safeguarding question being raised. I think school and other child safeguarding courses should include it maybe.

Sorry for the double post!

I must admit I had never seen one (probably because I'd had very little contact with babies) until I had my own DS in Hong Kong and there were quite a few Chinese babies in his baby group who had them.

DD1 had a small strawberry naevus on her head and another slight mark on her ear. People hadn't even heard of those (which are very common) and used to ask me if she'd had a bump, when she was a little baby and her hair hadn't grown enough to conceal them.

Not the spots but my DS has a bleeding disorder and while it is controlled he does bruise extremely easily.

Everytime I go to see a health professional I make sure i am carrying his red book even if the appointment is not for DS
This is after one time I had an appointments with a locum GP who kept going on about a bruise on DS neck. I explained but In the end I walked out and went to reception. The lady was lovely and just asked my normal doctor to have a word with the locum in between appointments.
My doctor did and pointed out to the locum that he was worried he could have looked it up himself on the computer (it flashes up on DSs notes in big letters). I did not get an apology either.
We have had comments from people when out and about and going swimming can be a nightmare
When DS started nursery we got letters from my GP and the haematologist and will be doing the same when he starts school

Before I resort to Google, why are they called Mongolian and why do they seem to appear mostly on the nether regions?

They are called Mongolian as they are thought to denote a ancestry connected to Gengis Khan. Not sure why they form mainly on the buttocks and back though.

I read that there is a traditional tale that when Gengis was born he was not breathing so his father slapped him on the buttocks in desperation to revive him causing a bruise. Since then all his ancestors have been born with the mark.

LadyPW She used the 'tar brush' phrase as a (derogatory) euphemism for mixed race because the marks are usually associated with darker skin tones.

I learned about them on MN, and then realised what the birthmark was on my (Indian) husband's butt!

I don't think they are well-known in the UK outside of paediatrics.

UrsulaPandress I think it's to do with the way babies are positioned in utero- the blood pools in a certain way ... something like that

Soul thanks for the explanation!

I explained it to you too, Lady

Apologies Dead - I just saw Soul's on this last page and didn't go further back. Mea culpa

I think LadyPW thinks the marks are blue
I did indeed think this, based on the first few posts. It's been very enlightening!

Sorry for being prickly (to use a term from another thread...) LadyPW

I had heard of them some years ago through this very site.

Do make sure it's officially noted.

I asked my health visitor why do always had a bruise on the base of his spine and on each vertebrae. She didn't know. I was quite worried for a few years. Then an MN post told me what it was. Not faded by six years old though.

Mongolian blue spots are very common in mixed race children, both of mine have them. I told their nurseries when starting and showed them their red books. I dont think we can assume people know what they are because most people dont

Mine had then on lower back and bum, I actually thought it was to do with being bi racial , mine are mixed black African and everyone knew about it at our hospital and health visitor and nursery.