11 week old - Persistent swollen glands

[Alice0901]

Hi Mums,

I’m wondering if anyone can help/has been through similar/can offer reassurance.

My 11 week old was a bit under the weather after her 8 week jabs with diarrhoea. This has now cleared up. At the time of her jabs and 8 week check the doctor noticed some swollen glands in her neck but didn’t seem too concerned. He said they should go away in a couple of weeks but wouldn’t be related to the diarrhoea as it’s the wrong place for the glands.

Fast forward 3 weeks and they’re still there. She has lots of them. 2 or 3 are the size of a pea and I’d say she has another 5 or 6 that are smaller but swollen. I don’t understand why they aren’t going down or disappearing as she doesn’t seem to have an infection or cold etc.

I do get very worried about her as she is very small for her age and only on 1st centile for weight. I’m worried these glands indicate something wrong in her body or could be sinister.

I’m going to contact the GP again in the morning but I wanted to see if anyone has been through similar and has some positive stories for me.

TIA

Alice x

Hiya. I’ve not heard of that but I’m just posting to keep your post bumped up. Hoping someone has something similar soon.

Thanks @SwanShaped

I'd suggest calling 111 now and seeing what they say, it's the NHS non emergency helpline. If they think it's an emergency they will find you an appointment ASAP, but they can also guide you on what to do.

They are 24/7, I've called at 1am before when I was in absolute agony.

Let us know what doc says.

GP just called me and said the size wasn’t concerning but to keep an eye on them. She said lots of things at this stage can cause them to swell as her immune system is so new.
She has made her an appointment next Tuesday to be seen just to be on the safe side

That sounds reassuring. I do remember when mine were babies that there was always some weird thing going on that I felt worried about. Rash, temp, cyst in eye socket, spots are some examples! So hopefully it’s just one of those random baby things that just go away. Good to have GP appt to reassure you.

I agree that does sound reassuring, and good the gp will see you soon to put your mind at ease. If they still say to keep an eye, it might be worth asking after what period of time should you come back if nothing's changed - a month, two months?

Given that your baby is quite petite, I wonder if it's just an issue of not having lots of padding yet so the lymph nodes seem prominent but are perfectly OK.

Sorry for the late reply @SwanShaped and @TenShortStories
The doctor first noticed them at her 8 week check and they are quite prominent so I don’t think they’re the normal size for her if you know what I mean. I will update again after her appointment on Tuesday.
I agree having a baby is such a worry all the time. I’m a FTM and a very anxious person anyway so I think it’s all heightened!

I had the same with one of my DC from being a baby and it took a few appointments over a few years with doctors reassuring they were fine, before one did say that some people have more apparent glands than others, including that doctor himself, and children are a lot less padded so they can be a bit more obvious. I know of a couple of children like this since.

Over those appointments though, some doctors did say about them going down in a few weeks but some of the glands took months to disappear.

Obviously it's best for your little one to be checked out by a doctor but I hope this is somewhat reassuring as I spent three years terrified.

Sounds reassuring what PP said. Hopefully as she grows bigger the glands will seem less prominent. Hope tomorrow is ok

Hi all, the doctor reviewed her today and still said he wasn’t worried. He said if a baby has a stomach bug (which she did after her jabs) then it can affect their whole body which would make the glands swell in her neck. I did ask if she needed to see anyone more specialist to rule out anything sinister but he said they wouldn’t do anything at this stage. He has made me another appointment to review her again in 4 weeks but reassured me that everything seems fine and other than this she is a very well baby.
I still can’t help but worry but I understand that doctors won’t make referrals without clinical need and I should take that as a positive sign. Being a mum is hard work!

It’s so hard not to worry. But doc said that your baby seems well and that’s a good sign. When I’m worrying, I try to look at my kids and ask myself ‘do they seem ill?’ Mostly, they seem totally fine. Bouncing around and happy. And so I think if they seem fine, then they most likely are fine. Kids don’t hide illnesses very well. Good to have the check up in a few weeks. And you can always go back in the meantime if your baby seems extra tired or grizzly. And yes, being a parent is hard. The worry is unreal.

I know you’re right @SwanShaped, she is very happy most of the time - very alert and smiley and developing well. I will try to relax about it all and wait for the follow up