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Multicultural families

Here's where to share your experience of raising a child or growing up in a multicultural family.

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Original poster

Mongolian blue spot

55 replies

Zinger · 14/11/2004 13:08

MarsLady I just came across your story (in this thread ) about your hv telling you your baby's mongolian blue spot was a sign of abuse!

DD still has hers at nearly 10 months and I've always found it really sweet.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

suzywong · 14/11/2004 13:47

My 3.5yr ds has still just about got his (both my boys have 2, one at the cocyx and the other on the outside of the cheek.

I love them!

Marslady those HVs you had sound absolutely nuts

Avalon · 14/11/2004 14:50

My dd2 was born with a Mongolian blue spot and when the midwives noticed it, you could have heard a pin drop.
They were obviously busy imagining things as both dh and I are white!

suzywong · 14/11/2004 14:51

that's very interesting Avalon, are you particularly pale skinned, I mean do all babies have it subcutaneously?

Avalon · 14/11/2004 14:55

No, I'm kind of medium toned and tan quickly. My dh is very fair skinned though and burns easily.

codswallop · 14/11/2004 14:55

just did a serach on it
I never had heard of it

suzywong · 14/11/2004 14:58

It really is a blue spot, like the mark on a Ming Vase, about the size of a thumbprint. It's very very sweet.

MarsLady · 14/11/2004 23:19

each of my 5 have had different sized, shaped, positioned mongolian blue spots. Two of them had blue spots that went across both bottom cheeks and the others had them in various places. Can't remember when DS1 "lost" his. DD1 and DD2 still had them at 3 or 4. The DTs, well they are only 9 months so time will tell.

jabberwocky · 15/11/2004 03:01

I'm amazed that she didn't know what it was! I have heard of that being thought of as a sign of abuse, but thought that it was now well known what it actually was. MarsLady, did you hand her an internet printout? (I am thinking about doing that regarding ds's uncircumcised penis for the ignorant health workers who don't know what to do about it).

Blu · 15/11/2004 11:17

My nephew was born with a huge Blue Spot across his back - which (DB and SIL are both white) gave rise to a v offensive and racist 'flippant' comment from the mw, which could also have caused marital havoc. Luckily DB was fully aware of our maternal GM's family tree - gypsies from Moorish Africa - and gave her (mw) a short sharp history lesson!

Cha · 15/11/2004 16:13

I had never heard about Mongolian blue spots until my Dad pointed dd's out to me when she was newborn. He was a doctor in Africa for nearly 30 years and he said that in the old South Africa it was a way for doctors to 'classify' a baby they weren't sure about as white or 'coloured'. Both mine still have theirs (3 & 1) and I also had no idea they would go! Shall miss them, I love their little blue bums.

MarsLady · 15/11/2004 20:08

to be honest jabberwocky I had about had it with the lot of them at that point. I did tell her that she clearly needed to spend more time with people of other races though. I'm convinced that I would be a better hv/mw than most of the ones that I've met. However, the ones that were good were very good.

peskykids · 16/11/2004 20:08

I just recently completed an NVQ in Early Years Education and Care and we did mongolian blue spot in some detail as child care workers are supposed to report any signs of possible abuse.

We were taught that if you had a concern about a mark on a child you should always tell a supervisor, or if you were the supervisor you might ask the parent / carer where the mark came from, rather politely, and then the answer would determine any further course of action. But we were made aware of mbs resembling a bruise! I've never seen one, so I don't know how much it resembles a bruise, but we were taught to recognise patterns of bruising and particular places they would be of concern. We were also taught that frequency would be an issue... So getting het up the first time you saw a bruise was not good practice!

sallystrawberry · 17/11/2004 14:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sallystrawberry · 17/11/2004 14:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MarsLady · 17/11/2004 14:52

Scary but true. Maybe the word Mongolian isn't pc, but because they haven't found another term yet they just don't talk about it lol. It never occurred to me to let people know about the mbs before, but I think I will with the DTs, especially in this current "fear" climate.

tammybear · 17/11/2004 14:54

my dd was born with one. it was half on her bum, half on her back. when i first saw it, i thought it was a bruise and was worried i had caused it as i had never heard of them She still has it slightly. think its cute too!

cant believe what your hv thought marslady!

sallystrawberry · 17/11/2004 14:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MarsLady · 17/11/2004 14:54

Thanks Sallys. I've bookmarked that link and will probably print it out to keep with the DTs medical files. It'll certainly help when they have future checkups and people ask what mbs are.

lydialemon · 17/11/2004 15:15

I always find it strange that health professionals aren't aware of them. I live in South London and even I've been interrogated about them - you'd think they'd be used to them here!!

DS1 doesn't have any, he's quite olive skinned, but blue eyed and a lot fairer than me or DH.

DS2 is a lot darker, and has quite noticeable marks on his wrists and ankles, and his spine - he's the one we got the third degree over in A&E at St Georges (went in because of severe temperature and vomiting, not any kind of accident!)

DD has the same colouring as DS2 and has a totally blue bum, plus a bruise like one on her hand!

Original poster

Zinger · 17/11/2004 15:21

God, I had no idea there was such ignorance in the health profession - especially in London. I'm glad of the warning.

OP posts:

suedonim · 18/11/2004 10:28

I'm amazed at the ignorance in London, too! Dd2 was born with a Mongolian blue spot (Incidentally, I thought the name came from the Mongolian people, but maybe I'm wrong?) and the MW noted it down and told me about it in case it was ever queried. And this was in Scotland, so I can't see how mw's in other areas can be unaware of them.

Chandra · 18/11/2004 16:00

Well... my dear mother who has always being fascinated by anthropology and teaches the subject, tell my MIL about this fascinating trade mark... Dear... I don't know who I wanted to kill first if my mother for giving fuel to my very racist MIL, or MIL with her worries about having a grandchild with spots!

Anyway, DS's is very big, probably about 6" square, still there at 21 months and I think its lovely (Oh, my little deer )

MarsLady · 18/11/2004 16:26

My MOL (mother out law)looked at DS1 and DD1 and said ..."oh good, they are not too dark" to which I replied "well they're not too fair either". Cheeky cow. Fortunately she hates me and I haven't seen her for years. Best revenge though was when her other son also married a black woman. (evil laughter)

Chandra · 18/11/2004 16:30

If I understood well, the name comes from Mongolia as being the origin of native american indians, is actually used as evidence that the first Americans came across the Estrecho de Bering from Asia.

heymissy · 19/11/2004 23:49

Cha - your dad's observations are really interesting. My dd has this on her back ( fading slightly) but I've never heard it called an mg before? I also thought all children had these, babies in my family generally do and my dd is the first mixed race cherub to come into our family. I even had this mark as a baby and I'm not mixed but of jamaican parentage

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