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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Large head circumference

10 replies

missboots · 02/07/2010 14:38

I've just come back from DS1's 6 week health check. He's 7 weeks old and his head is measuring in the 91st centile - at birth he was bang on the 50th. I think it means that his head is 1.5cm bigger than it should be. I have to take him back in 2 weeks for another check, but I've got myself in a panic that there's something wrong - like water on the brain. I hadn't noticed it before but suddenly his head does look a bit too big!!

I haven't noticed any other "symptoms" but then this is my first baby so I have no idea what's normal. He is for example sick maybe once a day (sometimes not at all, sometimes twice) - not just spit up, but more sick smelling sick if that makes sense. His eyes look normal, there's no bulging of the fontanelles or anything... and developmentally he seems fine, but at only 7 weeks old it's hard to tell!

Has anyone else had this? Can anyone put my mind at rest?!

Thanks.

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DaisySteiner · 02/07/2010 14:44

It is very, very difficult to accurately measure a baby's head. It's possible that the measurement done at birth was wrong or that the one done today is wrong. Also, please be aware that the 91st percentile is in the NORMAL range. Even if the measurements are accurate it's more likely that he just had a growth spurt! Please don't worry, chances are everything is absolutely fine. I had something similar with my first baby where the stupid HV said my baby's head looked too small, measured it and said it hadn't grown enough, needed to keep an eye on it, blah blah. I was beside myself so took him to the GP who pronounced the HV an idiot overenthusiastic and baby fine.

Original poster

missboots · 02/07/2010 14:56

Thinking about it - they also measured him at the 9th centile for height at birth, but today he's bang on 50th which the doctor today said was a bit weird. Perhaps someone somewhere doesn't know how to use a measuring tape. I hope so! Lord, these babies don't half give you things to worry about!!! Thank you Daisy for responding.

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Squitten · 02/07/2010 17:42

Don't get me started on this one....

My son was born with a huge head. He actually turned breech and I had to have a section because of it! Of course, nobody mentioned a thing to us in the hospital and it wasn't until DH's first day back at work that the stupid HV came round and started fussing over his head size. Like you, no other worrying symptoms of anything. She orders us to go the ER!

We fear brain haemorrhage or some other awful thing. When we got to the ER the nurses basically laughed at us and couldn't understand why we had ever been sent there. The doctor measured our heads and turns out, both me and DH have freakishly large head sizes for our height, especially me! So big heads are genetic in our family it would appear.

My poor son has to wear 3yr-old hats, his head never fits through the head holes of his clothes. It's mad! but he's perfectly fine. I'm pregnant again and I have noticed that the first scan results seem to suggest that the foetus already has a rather large head circumference so I'm bracing myself!!

Chil1234 · 02/07/2010 18:16

My son is the same as yours Squitten. Has had to wear ladies' hats from about the age of 3. A 36 week scan (I had a few problems) showed that whilst all his arms and legs etc., were at the right kind of size for 35/36 weeks his head was already at 40 weeks!!! Genes in question inherited from his Dad... thanks pal.

So a word to the wise girls. When placing that ad in the personal column include alongside 'GSOH' and 'solvent' the phrase 'please provide hat size'.

desertgirl · 02/07/2010 18:31

LOL, my kids have big heads too, but that is definitely a theme in my side of the family (can't find hats to fit me, sadly) - were practically off the top of the centile scales. However with both of mine, the measurements done at birth seem to have borne no relationship with reality, and at the first check at baby clinic, the nurse (we don't have hvs here) commented that all the measurements coming out of that particular hospital seemed to be somewhat peculiar.

Really don't know why they measure head size as it doesn't seem to be an issue unless it is freakishly disproportionate, which you would presumably notice, and it just gives mothers (even big headed ones!) more data to get anxious about.

Pattenberger · 02/07/2010 20:00

My ds has a large head (I also blame dh, and thank god for caesarean sections!), and one hv put the fear of god into me as she measured it when he was somewhere between 6-12 months (I can't remember) and it was completely off the chart.

I too had to go back after a couple of weeks, and his head was back (at the top) of the chart. The other hv thought the original one hadn't measured it correctly, as said earlier, I think it is difficult to measure the head, so it could very easily be a mistake.

Firawla · 02/07/2010 20:38

my ds2 has a big head too something like 90+ percentile but weight and height both in the 90s too, so dont know whether its different if thats the only one thats big

Dillie · 02/07/2010 20:47

My DD has a big head .. she gets it from my mums side of the family, and my DH.

i remember on her checkup the doctor fussing around about it, (since my head is average - whatever that is!) until i said, well my DH has a huge head as does my mum.

She is 5 now, and needs 7-13 year old hats, bless her. For the winter, we just buy her adult beanies. It makes her look too grown up!

lovecheese · 02/07/2010 21:28

DD2 was average head-wise at birth, but by 12-15 ish months head had grown way out of proportion with her body; had to see paediatrician for regular checks who measured and drew (Hilarious!) pictures of her head. She is now 6 and from the top it looks triangular, tapering to the back and is a bugger to get hats and helmets to fit. Having said that, she is on her schools G&T register so I like to think she has a big head because she has a big brain!

marge2 · 02/07/2010 21:51

Yup we had this HV panic thing. DS1 was a bit older though - 6 months or so. HV measured head which looked perfectly normal to me and packed us off to the JR in Oxford. Fair enough it had got a higher percentile score in relation to the rest of him.

The consultant gave me a funny look and said something along the lines of 'er... so what exactly is it you are worried about?' I said 'well nothing really - it's the HV who was flapping. I am just doing what I am told and coming for this appointment. I got a huge eye roll and a 'sorry you were put to this trouble, you have nothing to worry about' apology and was sent home! DS is now almost 7 and is perfectly normal.

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