Hi there. I saw your question a couple of days ago and have been thinking a lot about it. I had a shunt placed at 6 weeks old. I talked to my mom about it and she said that at first the site of the shunt was a little alarming. She said all you could see when you looked at me was the shunt, and a huge incision. But eventually babies get more hair and it becomes pretty hidden depending on the place of the shunt. In fact, I think for almost everyone with a shunt, unless you felt their head, you wouldn't know they had a shunt. This past year (I'm 26 now) I had a shunt replaced. The neurosurgeon put it in a different ventricle and the other side of my head completely. Now, instead of it being in the back of the right of my head, it's in the front on the left side. If I had thin hair you might be able to notice. I guess what i'm trying to convey is that, there may be some slight swelling from the surgery, but for the most part, a shunt causes a bump because the valve is outside the skull, and there is a chance that it might be noticeable later on, however I have learned (more times than I'd like) that I cannot live without this seemingly simple but incredible device. So having a bump on my head seems like a comparatively small price to pay, at least that is the perspective I have gained. I think this is probably a hard time for you and your family, and I hope this is helpful.