Call your physician if you have questions about your baby's appearance that this list does not address. HEAD Molding Molding refers to the long, narrow, cone-shaped head that results from passage through a tight birth canal. This compression of the head can temporarily hide the fontanel. The head returns to a normal shape in a few days. This refers to swelling on top of the head or throughout the scalp due to fluid squeezed into the scalp during the birth process.
Caput is present at birth and clears in a few days.
This is a collection of blood on the outer surface of the skull. It is due to friction between the infant's skull and the mother's pelvic bones during the birth process. The lump is usually confined to one side of the head. It first appears on the second day of life and may grow larger for up to 5 days. It doesn't resolve completely until the baby is 2 or 3 months of age.