My Kid Has A Big Head

And that in itself isn't all that alarming.  However, the rate that it grew is.

We took Bryce to the pediatrician today for his 9 month well check.  Here are his stats:

Length: 28" (just below the 50% line)
Weight: 21lbs, 3oz (just above the 50% line)
Head Circumference: 47.5cm (97th percentile)

Everything else was great.  He is doing things that he should be doing at his age.  I was a little bit concerned because Rylie was doing so much more at 9 months, but the pediatrician assured me that developmentally he is just fine.

The reason that his head size is an issue is because at his 6 month visit it was in the 50th percentile.  And now it is in the 97th.  It can be many things, or it can be nothing.  The main thing the pediatrician talked about was hydrocephalus (where fluid builds up around the brain), and I am not even about to start Googling the other possibilities.  She doesn't think there is anything wrong, though, because he is not showing any neurological symptoms.  She thinks that he may just have a big head.  She said that some kids will just shoot up like that and then stay at that percentile forever.  And if that is what happens with him, then that is fine.

She gave us two options...come back once a month to measure his head and monitor his development, or have the CT and know for sure right now.  I'm a worrier by nature and even Brian knew that I would be nuts trying to measure his head six times a day, so we opted for the CT.  She also said that IF there is something wrong, obviously the sooner the better to find out.  They have to get it pre-authorized with the insurance company, so hopefully that won't take long.  I just want to get the test done.  They do have to put him to sleep for it, but I am pretty sure it will be light sedation like he had with his tubes, and he was fine with that.

He will probably kill me one day for posting about this, but I'm kind of wondering if anyone has had experience with this and would share with me...He has an adhesion where his circumcision reattached itself.  It did not fully grow back over, but he has sort of an "semi-innie" at the moment, due to all of his pudge.  (And yes, I realize that I am not using correct anatomical terms, but I don't want this blog to ever be indexed by certain words.)  So anyway - she said that because he is a chunky monkey that everything is just smooshed in his diaper, and we really shouldn't do anything about it now.  She could have manually pulled the skin apart, but he would have bled and we would have had to take care of it for a few weeks.  And because of all of his fat, it would probably just grow back anyway.  Then the process would have to be repeated and he would end up with scar tissue.  So we will wait until some of that fat goes away.  She said she has had good luck treating it with hydrocortisone because it thins the skin, so that will probably be our plan of action once he is 18 months or so.  Poor kid.  But we will get it fixed.

All in all, we have had better pediatrician visits.  But overall, he is healthy and right on track developmentally.  Hopefully the CT will not show any abnormalities and I can stop worrying.  But until then, would you please keep my Bryce in your thoughts and prayers?  It would mean a lot to me.