What Causes Head Trauma in Babies, What Are the Symptoms?

If the blows that newborns and babies receive on their heads are not very severe, they do not cause any problems. Because fontanelle protects the baby’s brain. However, very hard blows can cause head trauma in children and infants. An active child is very likely to suffer minor injuries from falls and bumps. In this article, we have explained what are the signs of head trauma in babies who fall or get hit on the head and which situations you should take seriously!

What is head trauma in infants?

Head trauma is a situation that occurs as a result of a blow to the head during events such as accidents, falls and crashes. However, head trauma in babies varies according to the age of the baby. In any trauma up to 18 months, the fontanelle is in a protective state. In the event of a blow, the heart rate and pressure in the fontanelle are measured to assess the severity of the situation.

After the age of 1.5 years, the fontanelle is closed, and the changes that may occur in the head can be detected by observation or computerized tomography.

Head trauma symptoms in babies

Skull fractures are the most common type of head trauma in children. Cysts may develop under these fractures in the future. So, when a blow is received, in how many hours does head trauma appear in babies ?

The first thing you should do after your baby is hit on the head is to make sure he’s conscious and watch for any unusual behavior in the next 24 hours. Complications after head trauma in infants include;

• Nausea,
• vomiting,
• dizziness,
• indifference to the environment,
• temporary loss of consciousness,
• Disruption in the level of consciousness,
• come,
• There may be situations such as changes in behavior.

How to detect concussion in babies?

• loss of consciousness or confusion,
• Fainting,
• Comprehension and speech problems
• The baby’s napping during the hours he should be awake,
• Vomiting by gushing 5-6 times,
• Blurred, double vision or sudden loss of vision
• Clear fluid or blood coming from the nose or ear,
• Weakness in both arms or legs
• epilepsy or convulsions,
• Decreased interest in the environment.

Besides, you may wonder when are head blows in babies dangerous ? After accidents and impacts, you should pay attention to the following risk areas.

• You should check if your child’s eyes are open and his eyesight has changed.
• A serious injury can cause discharge in the ears.
• A hematoma may have developed in the cartilage between the two nostrils.
• If your baby doesn’t have teeth yet or has few teeth, they may have long-term problems with their teeth due to shock.
• If the bruises on the nails are large and painful, you should apply to the health institution for the blood to be drained.
• You should consult a health care provider, as damage to the genitals requires medical advice.

Do you know the severity of the blow?

“Does anything happen if the baby falls on the back of his head?”, “Is there a risky situation for the baby falling in a short distance?” or “What should be done about the baby who fell on his face?” Questions such as falls and crashes are among the most frequently asked questions in accidents. Blows and injuries that occur as a result of falling or hitting babies are often simple. If;

• If your baby is less than 6 months old,
• If the baby continues to cry even after 5-10 minutes,
• If the blow belongs to one of the above risk areas, it is useful to consult your doctor.

What to do in head bumps in babies?

When an accident occurs at home, you should not panic and keep your cool and intervene with your child as we mentioned below.

• First, take your child to a quiet place to calm them down.
• Quickly compress the damaged area with ice wrapped in a towel. Ice will slow blood flow in this area.
• Gently press on the damaged area for a maximum of 10 minutes.
• Gently massage the damaged area with a soothing and restorative cream.
• Finally, don’t forget to kiss and calm your hurting and scared baby.

Head trauma treatment in infants

In mild traumas, the doctor’s recommendations are usually followed. However, babies with severe head trauma are undergoing a brain tomography. In this way, the results can be obtained much more clearly and quickly, and if there is a fracture, it can be easily detected. During the tomography, the whole body of the child is covered with a lead cover, so that the body is not exposed to these rays.

Neurosurgery Specialist Prof. Dr. Murat İmer says that there is a possibility that the baby may have a seizure as a result of head trauma, but there is no need to give medication to a child who has not had a seizure. In fact, he states that medication is not given to a child who has had only a single seizure, and that they see the need to give medication to children who have had multiple epileptic seizures after a head injury.

What kind of problems can be seen in babies after head trauma?

• Bleeding between the bone and the cerebral cortex,
• skull fractures,
• Bleeding in brain tissue
• Bleeding may occur between the meninges and the brain tissue.

Does head trauma in babies cause any damage?

As a result of mild head trauma in infants, there is no permanent damage to the development of the brain. Bleeding and simple fractures resulting from trauma are diagnosed at an early stage, followed up and necessary surgical interventions are performed. As a result of this intervention, healing is achieved without any problems.