In plain words
A cephalohematoma is a collection of blood between the skull bone and the membrane that covers it. It forms from pressure during birth. It often shows up as a soft, raised lump on one or both sides of the head, sometimes a day or two after birth. It stays inside the edges of the skull bone and does not cross the lines between the skull plates. Most cephalohematomas get smaller over several weeks, and some firm up into a hard ridge for a while. Clinicians check them at the newborn exam. Most do not cause harm. Some can be linked to , because the blood breaks down over time, which is why the baby is watched.
The deeper version
A cephalohematoma is a subperiosteal hemorrhage bounded by cranial suture lines, caused by shearing of periosteal vessels during birth, most often over the parietal bone. Because the periosteum attaches at the sutures, the collection does not cross them. It resolves over weeks to months, occasionally calcifying into a bony ridge. Neonatal is more common with larger collections, because the blood is broken down, and clinicians monitor for jaundice. Risk factors include , prolonged labor, and fetal (Volpe, Neurology of the Newborn, 2008). Distinguishing it from and is clinically important, and imaging is reserved for atypical or enlarging collections.
Where it comes up
- Vacuum and forceps birthsBirth and the First Days
- When the baby is injured at birthLoss and Complications
- The first 24 hoursBirth and the First Days
- Newborn jaundiceBaby Basics
- Newborn procedures: vitamin K, eye ointment, hepatitis B, screeningGetting Ready for Birth
What mothers here say about cephalohematoma
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Sources
- Volpe JJ — Neurology of the Newborn, 5th edition, 2008
- Cunningham FG and colleagues — Williams Obstetrics, 26th edition, 2022