Why did this newborn's head look swollen and elongated after birth? Medical experts explain

A newborn baby in Bocaue, Bulacan has caught the attention of netizens after photos showed the baby's head appearing unusually elongated and swollen shortly after birth.

In Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras," Wednesday, midwife Jerry Dococus said the baby's mother had difficulty pushing during labor.

"The patient had been pushing for 30 minutes because she did not know how to push properly. Her pushing was not consistent. She would push and then stop," he said in Filipino.

According to Dococus, the swelling caused the baby's head to appear elongated.

"Her first question was whether the baby's head would return to its normal shape because it had become elongated."

However, Dococus assured the mother that there was no need to worry, saying the baby's head would eventually return to its normal shape.

"Even with just a little gentle rubbing, it would eventually return to its normal shape even without any intervention," Dococus said.

After 24 hours, the infant's head had already returned to normal.

"The baby was fine. We have actually encountered quite a number of cases like this."

According to Kuya Kim, some parts of a newborn's skull remain soft because the bones have not completely fused together. These soft spots, known as fontanelles, allow the skull to remain flexible during childbirth.

"We call it a soft skull, and there are gaps in it. The bones have not yet fully fused together. This allows the skull to accommodate the baby during delivery," said Obstetrician-Gynecologist Dr. Maria Maricar Manuel.

Babies' skulls are also soft when they're born to provide enough space for their growing brains.

"During the first few months of life, particularly during the first year, the brain grows rapidly. So, to accommodate this rapid brain growth, the skull remains flexible," Manuel said.

"It usually closes by around 24 months. By that time, the bones in the skull have become somewhat harder," she added.

The condition where it seems like a newborn's head is swollen, like what happened to Dococus' patient, is called Caput Succedaneum.

Caput Succedaneum is a swelling or soft bump on a newborn's scalp caused by pressure on the head while passing through the birth canal.

"This is caused by pressure during vaginal delivery. It is swelling of the scalp or the area beneath the scalp; it is not actually swelling of the brain," she said.

This usually happens when the baby's head has been pressing in the birth canal for a long time.

"The molding happens so that the baby can fit through the birth canal. It is not really a deformity." —Jade Veronique Yap/MGP, GMA News