8 Month Old Baby Girl with a Large Head Circumference. Anyone Else? Update

Hi A. - my daughter had the same thing - her daddy is only 6 ft tall but has a large head - I dont see it as being any larger than anyone else in either of their cases - they just wear big hats! :) but my daughter was in the 99% percentile, etc and had the CT and we saw the Neurologist at Phx Children's Hospital for her first 2 years to check her progress and she has since grown into her head size :) - no hydrocephalus or brain damage, etc and the doctors there are great and nice with the families and she is 5.5 now and fine and happy, healthy, smart - normal :) - so if they are just monitoring her and she seems fine then chances are she is - if there is something needed, and its rare, then there are super docs out there to help so make sure that you ask her doctor to explain everything and get the test and don't worry yourself to death just love her and see what the docs say - much respect :) - S.

HI A., My son was born 2 weeks early and weighed 11 pounds and was 99% or more on everything! He is now 6 and is 'normal' in every way. I always thought his head was big, but then so is his dads and we are all tall and big so my doctor thought nothing of it. I think if the rest of him was small and he had a big head, then they would have checked into it. I always tend to err on the safe side though, have her checked out for peace of mind. If there is something to be concerned about, it's best to find out sooner than later. Keep us updated and good luck!

been there done this. my first daughter was also on the high side of the chart with everything esc. her head. my husband is VERY large headed so is his mom and i dont have the smallest head ever. so they decided to do the CT and all of that which all came back normal as i thought it would. and now i have $600 in bills that insurance didnt cover that i have to pay to the hospital for them to tell me nothing was wrong, and i knew this in the first place. after that they sent was top a gentics doctor. and that was a joke. he looked at her head looked at mine and said there was nothing wrong!!! my advice to you is that if you feel nothing is wrong and she is devloping fine adn shows no signs of something wrong i wouldnt do it. hindsight i should have said no, because that is such a tramutic expernice to have to do that at such a young age. hope all works out.

A.,
Your doctor sounds on the ball and is just taking the necessary precautions to rule out any abnormalities. Because God forbid, if the MD did not order the testing and something minor was present, you'd be a very unhappy mom. Better safe than sorry. And from the sounds of your combined family genetics the baby sounds like a huge, happy, alert little girl :) BTW - love your girls names!

Jennifer

Is her head staying on the same growth curve relatively? If so, I doubt it's hydrocephalus. Even if it is, if the fluid is not changing, they most likely will just watch it anyway. My daughter has hydrocephalus and I really feel like you would know. Just for a few tips, bring some snacks with you to the hospital for the cat scan. Also, if she needs an MRI at any point in time, bring earplugs for her. They will give them to you but say they don't have any for children that young. It drives me crazy. Good luck!

My son has always had a large head - they even did extra ultrasounds because they knew he was going to have a big head and I might have to have a c-section (I did, but that wasn't the reason). He was always in the 95th percentile for head circumference and I think he still is... it is just genetics for him... daddy and his brothers and papa all have big heads ;0) I would do whatever the doctor recommends though just to make sure and to get some reassurance.

They told me my baby may be downs syndrome because of a large neck and that wasn't true. I know it is scary, but I would do what the Dr.s want, but try your best not to worry.
Put it in God's hands. All the worrying I have done hasn't helped with one thing, except to give me stomach problems and health issues myself. So, do what you need to do, but really the rest is out of your control.

Take care, my prayers are with you A..
K.

I have to agree with Alyssa D that your doctor is surprised. At one of our under 1 pediatrician visits, the doctor walked into the room and said - I sure hope you are saving for college! I was shocked that he would even care about college when she was not even 1 yet, so I asked why. He said because she has a big head so she must have a big brain. Any concern of a abnormality was not even discussed. Our DD is over 95% in all three categories too. She will tower over my and my DH one day. Her head shape and size is identical to my dad's baby pictures. Her 10 month old cousin has the same size and shape head too. She seemed to have received my paternal family genetics, which I unfortunately did not receive. Get the tests if it will help you sleep better at night, but definately try not to worry about it.

I'm actually surprised that your Dr is concerned considering she is in the 90's for height and weight, too. She just sounds like she has a big build. My son is always in the 95% for his head and nobody seems worried. My husband actually looked into hydrocephalus a while ago (not related to our baby) and there are other symptoms that go along with it, not just a big head. If she's developing normally and it's not preventing her from rolling over and such I don't see what the big concern is. You may as well do the CT scan just to be sure there isn't anything (unless they have to put her under, then I might reconsider). I really, really believe that your little girl is just fine. Maybe she'll be the next WNBA star or Pro-Volleyball star!!

Ahhh. Listen to your gut, your family tends to large heads, your daughter is just fine and normal and active, growing, learning... So just because she seems a little larger than other kids the doc sees, doesnt mean there is a problem. Good he is checking it out though... but DO NOT WORRY!

I have a tiny son. (I have a tiny husband, I used to be quite little, my husband's mom and grandmas are both tiny little things. Both of us weighed barely 100 lbs when we graduated from high school.) So, the doctor wanted to test my son to make sure nothing was wrong internally, they made an appt for him to be put to sleep, take this medicine which was half of an adult sized bottle and not let him eat anything for 24 hours before having probes sent into him from both ends.... UGGGGHHHHH. Well, when they never called back with a follow up appointment, we did not follow up! He is JUST FINE. Little, but we personally would worry and wonder where that came from if he were big. He is fine, according to OUR family, and NOT the general public. Remember that, compare her to YOUR family, not the general population.

Hi A.,

I was in your same boat five years ago. My 3rd son had an enormous head and it continually grew at a shocking rate (it wasn't in a percentile because it was off the charts) until he was about 6 months. At that time they sent him for a CT scan at Phoenix Children's to rule out anything serious. He had to be fasting that day in case they had to put him under anesthesia, and that was the hardest part. I took a friend with me because he was so hungry that he would cry and bury his face in my chest. It was so sad! But as long as my friend held him and I hid around the corner he was ok. They were able to get him to hold still just long enough that they got the pictures and he didn't have to go under any anesthesia -- thank goodness! A few days later we saw the nurosurgeon to discuss his results and it turned out that he did have some extra fluid on his brain, but it was nothing to be too alarmed about since he was developing normally and didn't show any signs of Hydrocephalus. We were just told to watch for those signs and take him in immediately should any of them pop up. We were also counseled to not handle him in a way that would "jar" his brain -- no bouncing on the knee, no anything that might cause his brain to bump into his scull. It was a little nerve racking at first but we got used to it...and he survived! :-) All was well, and he's never had any problems. He still has a big head, but it has never impeded him from doing anything that a normal five year old would want to do. You are quite normal for being nervous!! Any good mama would be!! But since your daughter is fine in every other way, you probably have nothing to be worried about! Once every scary thing you're imagining is ruled out, you will look back and be thankful that you have a doctor who is not just blowing you off and wanting to make sure your baby girl is going to be fine. Be thankful that we live in a day and age that IF something is wrong, there are people who can help! We really are so blessed in that aspect!! Hang in there -- and before you know it, everything will be fine. Good luck!

Blessings,
A.
(37 year old SAHM of 4 boys)

My daughter has a large head (95 percentile) while her body is in the 5th percentile for weight. So she's very petite with a large head. It makes it difficult to fit shirts over her head, but that's about the biggest issue we've had. My daughter is almost 2 and acts very normal, so I wouldn't worry about it. I will say that when she falls off a chair or something, she tends to land on her head more than my son did and I attribute that to the heavy weight of her head. My son's head is tiny and he didn't land on it near as much when he fell. But she really is fine and healthy and delightful and seems developmentally on track and has never caused us or the doctors any concern. Especially since your daughter's head seems to fit her body, it's probably fine.

Hi A., Just wanted to tell you that although it is a good that your doc is being precautious I would not stress too much about it. My son had a big head... my niece had a HUGE head... and the doc told us that as long as it is preportionate to their bodies DON'T WORRY!! My son was always in the 99% in everything too. My son has grown into his head and although my niece looks better still has a big head. Just bad luck I guess on her part. :) I would get the test done, but until the doc confirms that there is something wrong, just chalk it up to being cautious. Best wishes and god bless~C.

Aw, sweetie... I think if there was a serious issue, there'd be at least one other physical/psychological factor involved. It sounds like your little one is bright and beautiful! Loving concern is always a good idea for us moms. Worry and paranoia only ever end up being counterproductive. You're cooperating with your doctor, keeping a close eye on your princess's development, determining not to torment yourself with those horror stories anymore...you're a good mom. Keep on walking, A.!

~ R. J