Large head circumference - future health outlook?

[Greycushion]

I am due next month and my baby’s head circumference has been tracking above the 90th percentile all along the pregnancy. Other measurements are around the 20th-30th percentile so there is a significant difference.

I have searched plenty of threads on here and one reason seems to be familial benign macrocephaly (FBM) - in other words, big heads run in the family. But this is not the case in our family.

For other posters where FBM is also not the case, I have searched their posts in the years following their pregnancy and it seems there is an association between large head circumference and later learning difficulties, tics and autism. Published research also seems to bear this association out. So, I am trying to be prepared.

I would be grateful if anyone who has been in this position can share any advice. What sort of things do I need to keep an eye out for and at what age? Thank you.

The thing is, babies don't actually do very much, so it's easy to get hung up on details around milestones and head circumference and rolling.

Then they start actively flinging themselves off bookshelves and trying to eat the mop, and you only have time to try to stem the chaos.

Or was that just mine?

When my youngest (now 17) was a baby, I went to a new mums group where one tiny baby boy had a true mushroom-cloud head. I've never seen anything like it. Freaked me out.

Years later our 2 sons were at priimary school together, still a bit of oversized head but barely noticeable in reception... not noticeable by yr6. He always seemed same as most the other boys in every other way.

Just saying my experience is that the big head can mean nothing beyond looking odd.

My son who is now 5 measured 95th percentile in all his scans and was born with 95th percentile head. At the time unlike you I just assumed he had a large head. He was diagnosed autistic when he was 3. We were sent for genetic testing due to his large head size being a sign of genetic trait that causes autism. This came back all clear. So his head actually didn’t mean that was the sign of autism. I do think it was genetic as his father has since been diagnosed autistic himself. Either way he is the light of our life and honestly I couldn’t imagine him any other way. He comes with his only challenges like any child does his are just a little different to most. I’m currently 28 weeks pregnant with our second whose head size is in the 50th percentile. Just thought I’d let you know from someone who did end up having a child with a disability! Xx

Your baby has a big head….its no big deal. Its body will grow into it! Just chill out and enjoy the pregnancy…./you definitely shouldn’t be worrying about this kind of stuff!