Bump on Infants Chest

I have a small bump (bone) in that area. It has not given me any problems. It's flush with my ribcage and can only be felt if you are feeling the bottom of the ribcage.

My kid has one, it's pointier than your son's (he's plumper and more baby, she's 4 and too thin for my liking). It's the xyphoid process (a cartilaginous extension of the breastbone/sternum), and it's defintely palpable and pointy. She's had it since birth.

No biggie, but she's starting to notice it.

My pediatrician at her birth told me it would "reabsorb". Nope, it has not.

Turns out my husband has a smaller version of it, so I think she's got it for life. It's not painful, it's just sort of pokey.

If your kid's version is soft (not pointy), or changes in size (grows), take him to a different pediatrician than the one who examined him first.

If I had to guess I would say it looks like a more prominent xyphoid process, which is a little bone attached right at the bottom of the sternum. We all have one, but most do not stick out so as anyone would notice. I would ask the doctor for further clarification as to what EXACTLY he thinks it is.

I have it, so do 2 of my kids. On our end it is nothing to worry about.

I dated a guy who had that in college. It was a little strange looking to me because I hadn't seen it before, but he said it was perfectly healthy and normal. Don't worry about it, even if he doesn't grow out of it.

Have they ruled out a hernia? Just in case.

Our son had an inguinal hernia (it stuck out when he laughed) and he needed surgery. He's better now, but I'd ask your doctor just to be sure.

We just got are son home from the hospital. He is just 5 days old and when he was crying I noticed the bump right under the sternum area. I saw the picture and it is the exactly the same maybe a little smaller. Did you find any answers????? worried

As a stepmom (with a child development degree), I don't have much DIRECT infant experience, but the pediatrician and nurses probably do.
Try asking them specifically what the bump is (WHICH part of the chest cavity??) and getting an anatomy book to understand it better.
I do know that babies are physically different from us in some ways---aside from being small--like their skull and other bones are still sort of soft for a while, and maybe whatever this is will become less noticeable as he grows. The fact that your other child may not have had a prominent bump could just be an individual difference (like some men have more prominent adam's apples).
But you shouldn't have to worry---just tell your med people that you need it explained more specifically, next time you are in the office.

My son's was pretty prominant too. He is 22, tall, thin and when he sucks his gut in hard you can still see his "bump". I wouldn't worry about it too much. =)

My daughter is almost 7 months had the same thing her doctor was never worried and it is gone now she is smooth no bump. My first two kids didnt have this either. But hopefully yalls will go away too.

My son had that too. His pediatrician said I wouldnt be able to see it as he grows. It went away at about 6 months I think.

my second son has they same thing and the doctors just tell me unless he has breathing problems there is nothing wrong with him well he is now five months and he starting to have a hard time breathing when he is on his tummy or when he has any kind of pressure on his chest. the doctors keep telling me it is part of his chest where his muscles didnt grow together all the way and over time it might go away it might get bigger or it might never go away unless he pays for plastic surgery to have it removed. so back to the doctors we go!