Newborn Head MoldingSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Newborn Head Molding
The bones of a newborn baby's skull are soft and flexible, with gaps between the plates of bone.
The spaces between the bony plates of the skull are called cranial sutures. The front (anterior) and back (posterior) fontanelles are 2 gaps that are particularly large. These are the soft spots you can feel when you touch the top of your baby's head.
When a baby is born in a head-first position, pressure on the head in the birth canal may mold the head into an oblong shape. These spaces between the bones allow the baby's head to change shape. Depending on the amount and length of pressure, the skull bones may even overlap.
These spaces also allow the brain to grow inside the skull bones. They will close as the brain reaches its full size.
Fluid may also collect in the baby's scalp (caput succedaneum), or blood may collect beneath the scalp (cephalohematoma). This may further distort the shape and appearance of the baby's head. Fluid and blood collection in and around the scalp is common during delivery. It will most often go away in a few days.
If your baby is born breech (buttocks or feet first) or by cesarean delivery (C-section), the head is most often round. Severe abnormalities in head size or shape are not related to molding.
Related topics include:
- Craniosynostosis
- Macrocephaly (abnormally large head size)
- Microcephaly (abnormally small head size)
Newborn head molding is an abnormal head shape that results from pressure on the baby's head during childbirth.
Newborn cranial deformation; Molding of the newborn's head; Neonatal care - head molding
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Jeffrey Hammoudeh is a Plastic Surgeon in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Hammoudeh is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Newborn Head Molding. His top areas of expertise are Newborn Head Molding, Pierre Robin Sequence, Micrognathia, Osteotomy, and Myringotomy.
Downtown Surgery Specialists
Dr. Jordan Wlodarczyk is a board-certified surgeon specializing in colon and rectal surgery in Denver, CO. His clinical interests include rectal and colon cancer management, minimally invasive and robotic colorectal surgery, surgical education, and health equity. Throughout his career, Dr. Wlodarczyk has demonstrated a deep commitment to providing equitable surgical care and advancing innovation in medical education. His research spans a wide range of topics—from rectal cancer and the development of surgical techniques to general surgery education and the improvement of health systems—and has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed publications and numerous national presentations. He has led several community outreach programs, such as “Surgeon for a Day,” which mentors students from underrepresented backgrounds and introduces them to careers in medicine.Dr. Wlodarczyk was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where his love of the outdoors and adventuring in the Pacific Northwest inspired him to pursue his pre-medical undergraduate studies at Lewis & Clark College. He went on to complete a dual MD/MS degree at Tulane University School of Medicine, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Dr. Wlodarczyk completed his general surgery residency at LAC+USC, where he trained at one of the nation’s highest-volume public hospitals. During residency, he was recognized as the Los Angeles County Hospital Physician of the Year and served as Educational Chief Resident, all while contributing to multiple quality improvement initiatives, medical education programs, and surgical research efforts. Advancing his interests in colon and rectal surgery, he went on to complete a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at Weill Cornell and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where he honed his expertise in cutting-edge cancer research and advanced treatment protocols.When he is not in the operating room, Dr. Wlodarczyk enjoys hiking, running, skiing, and traveling with his wife and young son. He is always on the lookout for a new half-marathon to run or a mountain biking trail to explore. After years of training across the country, he looks forward to returning to the mountains, where he can combine his love of surgery and medical education with his passion for community and the outdoors. Dr. Wlodarczyk is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Newborn Head Molding. His top areas of expertise are Newborn Head Molding, Colorectal Cancer, Craniometaphyseal Dysplasia, Ileostomy, and Osteotomy.
Mark Urata is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Urata is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Newborn Head Molding. His top areas of expertise are Craniosynostosis, Metopic Ridge, Plagiocephaly, Osteotomy, and Bone Graft. Dr. Urata is currently accepting new patients.
Summary: Orofacial clefts are the second most common birth deformity and vary in etiology and phenotype, e.g. isolated cleft palate, cleft lip or cleft lip palate. Especially newborns with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCLP) present severe facial asymmetries auch as a broad and flat ala of the nose, a deviation of the columella and the philtrum to the non cleft side. Since postnatal asymmetries...
Published Date: October 07, 2025
Published By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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