When the baby is born by normal delivery there is a soft swelling at the top of the head and is sort of dome shaped. This is because of the fact that the head had to come out through a narrow passage of the womb, so it got molded in that shape. This is nothing to worry about. In 2 to 3 days time the head shape becomes normal. At times there is a small swelling on one side of the head. Other times a similar swelling occurs on both sides. This is due to collection of small amount of blood under the skin of scalp. This may take 3 to 4 weeks to disappear. No treatment is required. No harm will come to the baby because of this.
At times if the baby has the tendency to sleep only on one side, the head’s shape becomes lopsided. This happens mainly with preterm babies (babies born before expected date of delivery). In such cases, you should try to keep on changing the child’s position. Once the baby starts sitting up, the head will take its normal round shape.
In certain regions in India, it is believed that the head of the baby should be kept on a sand pillow. This according to them gives a good shape to the head. Nothing like this is required. Sand pillows can be very uncomfortable. Babies normally do not require any pillows under their head, as their neck is very short.
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