Stressing out really bad over scratch on newborns leg

[Jan289]

DH had our one week old DD last night and I’ve got up this morning to get her changed and noticed this mark on her leg. DH said he must of accidentally caught it when changing her but I’m stressed to the max now as health visitor is coming out in a couple days and I feel Like we’re going to get reported or something!😭 can someone please give me some advice?

Just for context this is the mark!😭

Babies scratch themselves ALL the time with their little nails. Don’t worry, and congratulations!

It will be healed up and gone by then.

Honestly I feel sick to my stomach, does it look like a deep scratch or am I being over the top😣

@Jan289 honestly, just chill. Babies always scratch themselves and sometimes my engagement ring scratches my little ones when I'm dressing them. It will have healed in a few days.

You are being over the top. It will heal quickly.

OMG those little legs! 💕

(misses the point)

Seriously, babies heal themselves like magic. It’ll be virtually gone in 2 days.

Just rearrange the hv visit for when it’s healed. Just in case as sometimes they do have to report marks on non mobile babies and it can be a hassle and stressful having medical tests to rule out abuse (I know why they do it but you can avoid it by postponing hv).

@Virusy how would I go about rearranging it? I don’t even know what I’d say to them😣

You can say anything- just call the office number and say you’ve had another appt come through can you rearrange to a few days later or the following week x

That will be healed in two days. My son used to scratch himself with his nails all the time, but you could almost see them healing.

Of course, if you suspect your partner has intentionally hurt your baby that's another matter entirely.

@Virusy thank you! I’m just worried as it’s her first HV appointment and she’s nearly 2 weeks old so not sure whether they’ll be willing to postpone😩
@SnapdragonToadflax thank you! & no no I definitely don’t think DH did anything intentionally, I’d of had the police out by now if that was the case!

Stick some sudocrem on it when you change her its a great healer of all sorts of nicks and scratches.

You 100% don't need to postpone. Please don't worry about this. It's very normal, looks like she has a touch of dry skin too - it might even be more of a crack in the skin rather than a scratch, HV might be able to recommend a cream for it.

Honestly I've taken babies to the HV with worse and they never blink an eye!

My dd scratched herself constantly. That really might be self-inflicted. Those baby nails are like razors. We tried the little mittens they sold in the shop, but they did not work.

Thanks everyone, I just feel so worried and the fact I can’t really explain how she’s actually done it petrifies me that the HV will report us😩 I do suffer with anxiety so maybe that’s what’s sending me on edge.. I’m glad that everyone has reassured me that it should heal and that baby’s scratch themselves all the time, it’s definitely eased my mind!🥲

Honestly the Health Visitor will not report anyone for that. It's easy to see how it could have happened by accident if she's been flailing around during changes.

Their skin is so fragile but they heal so quickly. It's not even drawn blood. And I'm sure if it had really hurt her then you/dad would have known about it.

But it may be worth discussing your anxiety with the HV. I had CBT when pregnant and then some counselling post birth and it really helped me manage it better.

@Wrongsideofpennines thank you so much for the reassurance!

I think I’m definitely going to speak to the HV about the way I’ve been feeling lately as I do feel like my anxiety is just taking over at the minute. Maybe some CBT will do me some good!

Agree about asking for support with the anxiety. Pregnancy and birth hormones can affect it and it's a really stressful way to live when you're responsible for this little person who is your whole world. There's enough anxiety just doing that without extra on top!

There will be plenty of times in her life when she'll have a bump or a bruise and you won't have the foggiest how she did it 🤷🏻‍♀️

All part of having a child, it starts now! 🤣

My daughter has a scar on her arm from where I scratched when she was 10 days old. I still had my pregnancy nails (they just grew and grew and were much stronger than normal) I was horrified and mortified. No one ever mentioned it.
We were under the midwives for the full 28 days seeing someone every few days and saw our HV every 2-4 weeks for the first 6 months so it's not like it was due people not seeing her. We even had a visit during that time where the HV assessed my safeness around her when I had post partum pyschosis

Health visitors aren’t that bad. Do you have something to hide? They know that accidents happen. I really wouldn’t worry and just have the appointment. It’s weirder to hide it.

I did this scratched the baby by accident with my ring when i was cleaning her face. Things happen please dont worry. The hv will see the baby is cared for x

I mean I had dropped food on my one’s head… it’s not like she’s been bruised or hit. It’s obviously an accident.

please consider some support for your anxiety, that’s not normal. And for gods sake don’t make your DH feel guilty. You’ve got many years to come of far worse injuries and illness, be prepared