WHAT IS THAT ON HIS HEAD AND HIS ARM?????
It is a strawberry birthmark. The technical term for it is Hemangioma . It is a benign self-involuting tumor of cells that line blood vessels. They are connected to the circulatory system and filled with blood. The appearance depends on location. If they are on the surface of the skin they look like a ripe strawberry, if they are just under the skin they present as a bluish swelling. In most cases, hemangiomas will disappear over time. The cause is uknown. They appear early in life, usually the first few weeks. It started off really small. I thought it was a tiny bruise because of the IV and the constant switching from one side to another. Later on, we noticed it kept getting bigger and bigger and that is when I asked the nurse what it was. She told us what they were and informed us that they enlarge during the first year of life (thus causing worry) but stop enlarging by the end of the first year and start involuting. It should disappear by the time he is two years old.
Considering all the other obstacles we had to come, the birthmark seemed to be the least thing to be concerned about. Jaeden has a great pediatrician who is keeping an eye on the marks and will refer us to a hematologist when he reaches 4 or 5 months. Treatment is discouraged because they usually go away on it's own. As long as it does not interfere with his sight, or the use of his arm and the ability to bend it, there is really nothing to worry about. Once he is seen by the specialist, the condition can be better assessed. For now, it is just cosmetic but it does not interfere with my baby being cute or sweet or the love of our lives. Overall he is healthy and a true blessing.
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