Any paediatricians out there?

[mama202]

Hi there,
Could really do with some advice if there are any paediatricians or doctors reading. My son is one month old and had what I thought was mottled skin on his lower arms and hands and on his leg. We ended up going to the hospital yesterday after I had sent photos of it to our GP as they were concerned but we saw several doctors and they said it's a type of birthmark and not actually mottled skin. They did say that it's quite unusual, not sure why. It looks like he has poor circulation but they said that's not what it is. Sometimes it's very pronounced and other times it's barely noticeable. I didn't realise birth marks could change like that? They said we'll get a call from a telephone clinic but I don't know when or anything or what type of clinic it was all pretty vague. Obviously my main concern was that there could be something seriously wrong with him so I was relieved to know they weren't worried and sent us home. Just wondered if anyone could shed any light. Thank you

Not a pediatrician, but my kid has mottled skin on her legs whenever she's cold- does he have quite a pale skin tone?

broohaha I would say his arms and legs are quite pale, yes. They do feel quite cold sometimes but I remember with my first baby the health visitor told me you can't go on the babies hands or feet, you have to feel their chest or back to see if they're warm enough. They obviously took his temp yesterday at the hospital and all was ok. It looks to me like it gets worse when he's cold and improves a lot when I'm feeding and is barely noticeable, maybe because he's close to me and getting my warmth?

Possibly. Mine got less noticeable as she aged- now it's only visible when she's noticeably cold. When she was a newborn it was much more common.

broohaha that would make sense to me, I guess as they get older their skin develops doesn't it, it's still so delicate and very thin. Not quite sure why they think it's a birthmark though?! Unless that's being used in a very loose term, they did say it's his skin rather than any underlying issue or sign of anything

Maybe they just tried to give a massively simplified explanation and went too far with it? 111 summoned us to children's A and E every time DD had an infection as a newborn because of the mottled skin and cold hands/feet issue and they did say it was definitely mottled but she was fine. I eventually just stopped worrying about it and decided it must be normal for her.

That must've been a worry each time broohaha. I just don't get why they would say it's unusual as surely it's not really? I hope they'll call me soon and I can ask some questions

Is it cutis marmorarta telangiectatica congenita? If so, the referral will probably be to a multidisciplinary clinic which might be led by dermatology or vascular surgery depending on your local area.

willa I think this more than likely it from what I have read online just now. Thank you for your reply.

Do you have experience of it willa? Thanks

You gave such a good description! I’ve seen newborn babies with a few times and I can’t remember it being a problem unless the abnormal vessels go deep into the muscle or if the skin itself isn’t formed properly. They will probably check for other birth marks as well.

It could also be normal mottling of the skin in response to cold. It's common for babies to have a mottled appearance if they are cold (the proper name is cutis marmorata) which is not serious and different to the other rash the previous poster discussed

My baby has had this since birth still like it now at 1 year old! Shes always slightly mottled and it changes sometimes she has very sensitive skin aswell. Could still tell when she was poorly though it was beyond mottled and when pressed didnt change and her hands and feet were freezing and she just wasnt and didnt look right. It's probably just your babies skin but you will know if they are unwell, always check though better safe than sorry xx

That was my initial thought thosethreewords but I would've thought that would be the paediatricians first thoughts too. He was seen by two other doctors to confer after his initial examination so I'd be surprised if they had misdiagnosed but I guess we have to wait and see once we get a call from someone.

DD's left arm and shoulder has been blue and mottled since birth and it is definitely exacerbated by being cold and/or wet.

Our paediatrician tested pulses, circulation etc when she was a few months old but refrained from invasive testing. He reviewed her through toddlerhood and just put it down to a cosmetic skin flaw.

She's now 20 and still goes blue. She's freaked out a fair few swimming teachers over the years as it can look quite extreme when she's cold.

I hope your DCs issue proves to be equally innocent and harmless, good luck.

wila I've definitely noticed that it changes quite dramatically with feeding and in a short space of time?