Terrified mum rushed baby to hospital – to find six-inch surprise inside tot's head

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Many new mothers, particularly those with their first child, are acutely aware of any health issues their baby might have and will not hesitate to take them to the GP at the slightest concern.

One such anxious mother was the parent of a baby named Claire. Podcaster Mr Ballen recounts her incredible story: "Any time there was a change in her behaviour or her appearance changed, this mum rushed to the doctor." However, on one spring morning in 1982, her concerns were well-founded.

Her six-week-old daughter had developed two mysterious marks on her head, resembling a cross. Mr Ballen said: "There was one line that ran from the nape of her neck all the way at the back, all the way up her head to her forehead, and the other line went from behind one ear all the way to the other ear." Clueless about what these lines signified or their cause, the worried mother took Claire to the Royal London Hospital, reports the Mirror.

The hospital staff immediately sensed the urgency and referred the case to consultant neurosurgeon Farhad Afshar, who identified the strange symptom as bulging fontanelles – a condition where the baby's brain swells so much that it forces the skull bones apart.