The book on : The Ghanaian custom of massaging a baby’s head with hot water and ointments;
The damage to the baby’s brain development.
The gaps during delivery.
In time of delivery the head passes through the narrow birth canal without damage because the head is made of many bones. The pressure pushes the bones along the gaps (Picture 11).
Picture 11: The function of the gaps in the baby's skull in time of delivery:
Now we can see what happens to the bones of the baby's head and the brain while the head of the baby passes in the narrow birth canal.
Picture 12: The normal position of the bones in the baby's head which is too big for the narrow birth canal.
Picture 13: The squeezy position of the bones of the baby while the baby passes through the narrow birth canal.
Picture 14: The normal shape of the baby's brain which is too big for the narrow birth canal.
Picture 15: The squeezy brain of the baby while passing in the narrow birth canal.
If we compare Picture 12 to Picture 13 we can see that what enables the head to pass through the narrow birth canal is the shifting of the bones inside along the gaps. This movement of the bones reduces the size of the head and it becomes small and can pass undamaged through the narrow birth canal. After birth the bones shift back to their normal position. This process can take few days to few weeks.
If we compare Picture 14 to Picture 15 we can see that also the brain which is soft changes its shape and in the narrow birth canal it becomes narrow and long. After birth, as the bones of the baby's head come back to their normal position so also the brain takes its normal shape.
Do not disturb this process not by pressure on the head, hot water massage or rubbing ointments on the baby's head.
What we need is to have patience !