Mongolian Blue Spot

Now I had no idea what one of these was, at all. You'd think that being as Beau is indeed Vietnamese I would have some inkling of the skin variations in things such as birthmarks. Well I didn't.

Not until my midwife pointed it out to me about an hour ofter Mojo's birth. She wrote a lot about this thing in my notes, but I was a bit spazzed out that day to have any idea what she was talking about, and Beau was to elated.

She kindly mentioned it again the day after. Mongolian Blue Spot. What is it?

• Blue, bluey-grey, blue-black, even deep brown spots on the back, buttocks, base of spine, shoulders, and other body areas
• Flat area with irregular shape and unclear edges
• Normal skin texture, no bumps or raised aspects
• The spots are usually 2 - 8 centimetres in width
• Not tender or sore to touch
• They usually fade in the early teens

Mongolian Blue spot, usually found here.              

The reason I am writing this post is that she made it very clear that a large amount of doctors/nurses would mistake a Mongolian Blue Spot for a bruise and that we must always remember that is in her notes.

The distinction between a Mongolian Blue Spot and a bruise

Bruises -  

• Change colour over time
• Will usually be a specific shape i.e hand/fist
• In the cases of abuse there will be various other symptoms such as a withdrawn child, other bruising
• Will be painful or uncomfortable if touched

 

 It's very important that shortly after birth if you happen to spot something like this on your child you take them to the baby clinic so that it can be noted down.

It's has been confused for child abuse in previous years, and may continue to be so.