Baby hit head - Drs, Hospital, or keep an eye?

[Pavlov]

I have a bed quite low to the ground, with a solid wooden edge around it. Bear cub aged almost 8 months fell off it backwards, and hit either the edge of it or the edge of the cot.

He screamed the absolute place down, and almost immediately, on the back of his head, at the bit that sort of sticks out, a lump the size of say a 50p? bit bigger perhaps has come up, was red in the middle, where the impact is, blue around, and now after 15 mins it is blue and the swelling around it is red.

He did not want to be put down for 10 mins, and was quite crizzly, but then I gave him some bm, which he took happily and now he is fine.

But I am worried as it was obviously a hard hit so should I go to the gp, to the hospital or keep an eye on him?

I feel bloody terrible. I had left him and DD looking at books on the bed, while I ran to save the washing from the sudden downpour (all on the same floor not that it made a difference, then DD was following me and as I turned to walk back into the bedroom, I heard this horrid horrid pipping scream (only was I could describe it).

I was trying to do too much, DH is at work for the first time in ages (helping out a friend) doing hard physical work and I wanted to make the place nice so he didn't have to do anything.

You know what, i think I already know the answer, I am calling a friend to see if he will take me to A&E and DH has the car.

I am clearly not able to do anything without him here wetwiping me

NHS direct will assess and give advice if you want to phone them.

If not knocked out, fine now, and seem perfectly normal, esp easy to wake him up, they will likely give you advice on what to look out for.

Crying after is a good thing, quiet babies are much more worrying.

A and E of course fine if you prefer

oh do you think? Maybe I should call them. He was not knocked out, he screamed the place down and is now happy as, playing next to me after his milk, just as he was before I stupidly left the room.

Cold compress on the bump

When we took ds as a baby after knocking his head, the things they wanted to know were whether he was alert, had been drowsy or sick and whether he was acting the same as normal. However, if you think you need to take him - then that is the right thing to do.

If he needs a and e, they will tell you. Many babies would not need a and e but go on what you are comfortable with.

Ring the Drs Pavlov - and see what they say.

Have you put something cold on it too, in the meantime?

Look for - fitting/twitching, hard to wake, trouble moving arms and legs, vomiting more than once or persistent headache.

I am so stupid. It would have taken me a split second to scoop him and put him into the cot right next to him. wtf was i thinking?

Oh and hard lump on head good - squishy lump bad. Any unusual bruising, ie round the eyes or behind the ears.

Ah, they all do it. Just one of those things.

omg it is a bit squishy...phoning them now...have compress on head.

v good. The skull is very very tough and it was not from a great height - very unlikely to do any serious damage but best to check it out.

They are usually pretty quiet this time on a weekday, from what I hear

i called local out of hours gp, as my gp is shut on wednesday afternoons, they will call me back asap.

He is asleep now, which bothers me, even though it is his nap time, he has just had some milk, and gone to sleep. Should I keep him awake for a while? It appears to be 'normal' sleep, if i try to take milk away he startles and roots...

You don't have to keep him awake, just make sure he rouses easily, eg if you stroke his arm he wriggles.

Mine nearly always bang their heads just before they were due to sleep, they get clumsy when tired.

Normal asleep is fine.

tb if you are really worried I would just take him up to A&E. you're not going to settle otherwise.

I may be wrong but I suspect this is what the gp will say.

Its not usually too bad on a weekday afternoon. Its after 3 when the kids let out of school and start falling over that gets busy.

In the meantime give him a slight pinch. if he's rousable he should react normally (ie move his arm away) but dont use that as a diagnostic tool, its just to reassure yourself a bit.

thank you

NHS info here

nellie - i might well take him. I need to call my friend, so will wait til the gp calls me back so i don't tie up the phone line. Typical, the one day with no car. i could take a cab but have dd with me, friends wife would be able to have dd for me if they are around.

You sound worried enough not to be happy till you have taken him, so take him to a walk-in or A&E. That's what they are there for. I would respectfully suggest the GP isn't going to be able to help much over the phone.

Head injury watchouts are:

• increasing drowsiness
• worsening headache
• confusion/strange behaviour
• vomiting since injury
• weakness in arm or leg or slurred speech
• dizziness or loss of balance
• visual problems
• blood or clear fluid leaking from nose or ears
• unusual breathing problems

...all of which are near impossible to judge in a 7mo baby!

Will check back later Pavlov, let us know

they still haven't phoned me back, almost an hour. thought babies/head injuries would be priority?

He has slept for half hour, woken by me stroking his arm but is now dozing off again, after grumping at me a little. I think he is fine. the lump on the back of his head has gone down now, and is swollen rather than a wopper of a lump like it started as, it is red, rather than dark blue, hot to touch, and causes him discomfort to touch it, but does not look as awful as it did an hour ago.

Now not sure what to do, had planned on whizzing up all in a panic, but now it has all calmed a bit, I am wondering if I should wait til DH is home in the next hour or so, and then take him if I am worried? And maybe call NHS direct in the meantime as the Out of Hours Drs are crap. As usual. God knows why I phoned them not NHS direct. I guess it is because I normally call them, but last couple of times they have been crap and the person who took this call, spoke like I was being a pain in the side, probably stopped him playing bejewelled or something.