Have you seen a Hemangioma?

One thing I've learned repeatedly with all my kids- each kid is different. Very different! I thought I'd seen it all until Annie came along. She had some swelling in the chest area due to hormones(had read about it but never saw it with the other kids; that was interesting) and she also has what's called a hemangioma.

At first I thought it was just her birthmark, maybe a port wine stain. It wasn't until my mother in law saw it that she immediately recognized it as a hemangioma. Two of my nieces actually had some a few years ago, too, but I was only aware at the time of one. The one I knew about was much larger, though. Hers became problematic due to it's location on the back of her head and eventually they chose to operate after repeat infections. My other niece had one on her stomach(this was the one I didn't know about).

What is a hemangioma? It's just a collection of extra blood vessels that didn't get used. Most will go away on their own leaving normal skin. Others might require special attention if they get infected or are located on the eye, for example. I do think Annie's is already changing some. In the picture you can see how it is not a solid patch- it appears as though slowly more 'skin' is showing through. I'm just grateful it's in a good location that doesn't get rubbed a lot or impede development.

Apparently there's something new to learn with every kiddo!