The Newborn’s Appearance
As you look at your baby, here are some things you may observe:
THE UMBILICAL CORD
The baby’s cord stump should wither and drop off by itself in ten days to a few weeks. Don’t try to hurry the natural process. The nurse will show you how to clean carefully around the cord with a cotton ball dipped in alcohol. To protect the cord from friction, cut a notch in the waist of the diaper, fold the front of the diaper over so that it rides below the stump, or use newborn diapers with a space cut out in the front. Call the doctor if the stump bleeds more than a little, or if the surrounding skin becomes red or swollen, signifying a serious infection.
SKIN COLOR
At birth, babies are normally covered with a white, greasy substance called VERNIX. Some babies also have patches of downy body hair (usually on the back or shoulders), which may remain for a week or so. A healthy newborn’s skin may be blotchy and red or mottled, due to blood circulation that is still a little sluggish. Many newborns are also wrinkled. Some have dry and peeling skin.
Very often, newborns have a yellowish tinge to their skin for the first days of life. This yellow color is called JAUNDICE, and is caused by the breakdown product of red blood cells (or BILIRUBIN). Usually the baby’s body takes care of removing this material naturally and there is no cause for concern. If the baby is very jaundiced, your doctor may order blood tests to see how high the bilirubin level is. If the level is high, the baby may be placed under ultraviolet lights for a day or so to speed the removal of bilirubin from the body.
BIRTHMARKS
The birthmarks most commonly found on newborns have curious names like “stork bites” (pink spots on the neck, head, or face), “strawberry marks” (raised, deep red patches), and “Mongolian patches” (bluish areas of pigment, usually on the back or buttocks of dark-skinned babies). Most often, these marks fade in the course of babyhood. The baby may have a small blister or callus from sucking his thumb or hand in the womb. The baby’s face may be bruised or swollen from a bumpy trip down the birth canal. Within a few days, such discolorations should disappear, but it may take a bit longer for the baby’s head to attain a normal, symmetrical shape.
Some birthmarks may be permanent, although at this stage it’s probably too soon to tell which ones will last. Ask your doctor about any marks that concern you.
HEAD
A baby’s head accounts for one-quarter of his or her total body length a much higher proportion than an adult’s. Despite its size, the head seems fragile, partly because of the two soft areas (FONTANELS) at the top, where the skull bones have not yet grown together. You may be able to see your baby’s pulse beating in the fontanels, but they are covered by a tough membrane that protects the brain, so it’s perfectly safe to wash the overlying scalp.
Since newborns can’t hold up their heads, you need to support the back of your baby’s head and neck when you lift him. There’s no cause for alarm, however, if your baby’s head falls forward or to the side when he is in a car seat, infant swing, or baby carrier.
SEX ORGANS AND BREASTS
A heavy dose of mother’s hormones at birth can make the breasts and genitals appear somewhat large and swollen in infants of both genders. Female babies may even have slight vaginal bleeding. This is normal, and the effects soon taper off.