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A paramedic has shared the seemingly innocent sign that a baby needs an “urgent medical evaluation” and why it’s a “serious red flag” if you see your baby’s weak point lifted.
The executive director of the parenting organization Tiny Hearts Education, Nikki Jurcutz, shared two Photos of the head of a five-month-old baby asking his followers to ‘find the difference between the two images’.
In the former, the baby’s head looks normal, while in the latter, the soft spot or ‘fontanelle’ is raised or ‘bulged’, which is an emergency and may be indicative of a serious health problem.
A paramedic has shared the seemingly innocent sign that a baby needs an “urgent medical evaluation” and why it’s a “serious red flag” if you see your baby’s weak spot is elevated (right)
The executive director of the parent organization Tiny Hearts Education, Nikki Jurcutz (pictured), shared two images of a five-month-old baby’s head and asked her followers to “spot the difference.”
“One of these photos shows a serious red flag that requires urgent medical evaluation,” Nikki posted on instagram.
It’s a bulging fontanelle.
Nikki went on to say that this particular five-month-old baby had a temperature of 38.3 degrees Celsius, which is almost two degrees above the normal temperature for children, which is about 36.4 degrees Celsius.
“The parents noticed what they thought was a bulging fontanel and went to the ED,” Nikkki continued.
‘Bubs started on antibiotics and antivirals followed by blood tests, ultrasounds, MRIs and a spinal tap.
She added: “Bub was diagnosed with a post-viral transient fontanelle bulge.”
Nikki explained that “not enough parents know that a bulging fontanelle is a red flag that needs to be evaluated” immediately.
Nikki explained that “not enough parents know that a raised fontanelle is a red flag that needs to be evaluated” right away, and any changes in appearance or texture should be checked (image of raised fontanelle).
In another video, the paramedic noted that a baby’s soft spot should “feel relatively soft and curve inward very slightly” (example of bulging fontanelle in image).
In another video, the paramedic noted that a baby’s soft spot should “feel relatively soft and curve inward very slightly.”
“A bulging fontanel occurs when fluid builds up in the brain or when the brain swells,” Nikki said.
‘Sometimes our little ones can get a raised fontanel, but it’s only temporary. Some examples of this are when the baby is lying down, crying or vomiting. This is not a cause for concern.
She said that if you notice your baby has a raised fontanelle, there are three things you should do.
First, reassure your baby and sit him down, then assess the fontanel in this position, and third, if it is still bulging, go to the nearest emergency department.
The paramedic told her that if her baby had a serious problem, it would usually have other symptoms in addition to the bulging fontanelle.
These symptoms include fever, drowsiness, and irritability.
“Common causes of a bulging fontanelle include meningococcus, severe infection, and bleeding in the brain,” he said.
Thousands of people who saw the image rushed to thank the paramedic for sharing the photos, saying they were unaware (file image)
Thousands of people who saw the image quickly thanked the paramedic for sharing the photos.
‘This was a huge red flag when my baby had meningitis at 10 months!’ one parent wrote.
Along with high temperatures, vomiting, refusal to feed, and extreme lethargy/drowsiness. It was the scariest day of my life.
Another added: ‘My baby had this at four months which led us to find out she had a severe UTI. She went through lumbar punctures blood ultrasounds. Everything!
“He also had a severe dairy allergy that was also misdiagnosed up to this point.”
A third wrote: “Scary, both my babies had so much hair, looking back now I wouldn’t have been able to see this if it had happened to them.”