to 12 from the face. Your baby can see bright objects and follow light. � �
Your baby's eye color will become clear during the first year of life. Dark-skinned babies are most often born with brown eyes that do not change color. Light-skinned babies are most often born with blue-gray eyes that may change color over the next 6 to 12 months. � �
You may see a red streak in the white part of your baby's eye at birth. This is called a hemorrhage and is common. It is due to more pressure during birth caused from your baby squeezing through the birth canal. It is harmless and the blood goes away in 2 to 3 weeks. � �
If you notice that your baby's eye has watery drainage on a nonstop basis, there may be a blocked tear duct. When this happens, the channel that most often carries tears from the eye to the nose is blocked. Most blocked tear ducts open on their own by 1 year of age. � �
Ears � �
Your newborn baby's outer ear has cartilage that is able to bend. The earlobes may appear bent or folded at birth. This is because your baby was crowded while growing in the womb. The folds in the earlobes most often straighten out shortly after birth. � �
Nose � �
At birth, your baby's nose may be filled with mucus. A newborn baby's nose is often suctioned after delivery to help the baby breathe. Sneezing also helps your baby clear the nose. Newborn babies may sneeze a lot because they breathe mostly through their noses. � �
Your baby's nose may look large or flat at birth. This is due to the tight squeeze in the birth canal during labor and delivery. It may take a week or two before your baby's nose looks more normal to you. � �
Mouth � �
As you look in your baby's mouth, you may notice small white bumps on the gums. These are normal cysts or fluid-filled sacs that often go away on their own. You may also see yellow-white spots on the roof of your baby's mouth that are called Epstein's pearls. These are harmless and will also go away. � �
Some babies are born with teeth. The teeth may or may not have roots like normal teeth. Talk to your baby's doctor to see if they need to come out. You may notice some thicker skin on your baby's upper lip during the first month of life. This is a callus caused by sucking. Sometimes, these calluses are seen on the baby's fingers, hands, or arm. This is due to the baby doing a lot of sucking in the womb. These often go away during the first year of life. � �
Skin � �
When your baby is first born, the skin is a dark red color. Your baby's skin color changes to pink in the first 24 hours of life. Your baby's hands and feet may look blue for the first few days. This goes away as your baby's blood flow improves. � �
Your baby may be covered with a waxy coating at birth. It is called vernix and protects your baby's skin in the womb. It comes off easily. You may also notice that your newborn baby's skin is peeling. This is sometimes seen in babies who are born after the due date. This type of skin peeling is normal and means that your baby has dry skin. � �
Some newborns get jaundice, a yellow coloring of the skin and eyes. This is often normal. It may be due to the baby's body getting rid of extra blood cells. If the yellow color appears after the first day of life or if the jaundice worsens quickly, this can become harmful to your baby. Take your baby to the doctor right away if you think your baby has signs of jaundice. In most babies, jaundice goes away without care. If your baby has jaundice, your doctor will tell you what you can do to make the jaundice go away more quickly. � �
Birthmarks may be seen in newborn babies. Mongolian spots are flat patches of bluish pigmentation under the skin that look like ink stains. They are most often found on the lower back and buttocks. They are often seen in babies of dark-skinned parents. These spots are not harmful. They may fade within a few years. Salmon patches are pink or red spots found mostly on the back of the neck or on the baby's eyelids, brow, or bridge of the nose. They are also called "stork bites " � or "angel kisses " � and may go away within the first year of life. � �
Some babies get a rash within the first few days of life. This may go away on its own and your baby may not need any special care for the rash. Milia is a type of rash with small white pimples on the baby's face. Hormones passed from the mother to the baby cause this rash. They go away on their own. Close to half of newborns get erythema toxicum, a rash of red bumps with yellow-white centers. It is also harmless and goes away in 7 to 10 days. � �
Body � �
Chest � �
Your newborn baby may have some slight swelling of one or both breasts after birth. The mother's hormones that are passed to the baby before birth cause this to happen. If you are breastfeeding, your baby's breasts may be swollen longer due to hormones passed to your baby in your breast milk. A newborn baby's nipples may also leak milky fluid. All of this is normal and should go away in a short time. � �
Abdomen � �
Once your baby's umbilical cord has been cut, a stump is seen. It should fall off within 10 days. Keep the stump clean and dry. A newborn baby's belly is often round. If your baby was born early, the belly may be small and flat. � �
Your baby's first bowel movements are called meconium. This is a sticky, dark green-black colored substance that looks like tar. Once your baby starts drinking breast milk or formula, the stools will look light brown or yellow in color. � �
Genitals � �
You may notice that your baby's genitals appear large or swollen at birth. Hormones passed to the baby from the mother before birth cause this. If your baby is a girl, she may have white, blood-tinged mucus discharge from the vagina. It often goes away in a few days. In boys, most uncircumcised babies have a tight foreskin that covers the head of the penis and is not easily moved. This is normal and you should not try to pull it back. If you decide to have your baby boy circumcised, most of the foreskin will be removed. This will be red and tender for a few days. Your baby's doctor will talk with you about proper care. � �
Arms and Legs � �
You may notice that your newborn baby's fingers and toes bend easily. A newborn's nails are soft. Fingernails grow faster than toenails in the newborn period. You may need to trim your baby's fingernails carefully with baby nail clippers. � �
Notice how well your baby moves both arms and legs. Sometimes, newborns keep their arms and legs close to their bodies much like they did while they were in the womb. Your baby's lower legs normally appear to curve in. This is due to the cross-legged position your baby was in while you were pregnant. These curves are normal and will likely straighten out once your child has been walking for 6 to 12 months. Your baby's feet can also turn in because of the cramped positioning in the womb. This is also a normal finding as long as your baby's feet are able to move and are not stiff. Your baby's feet will appear more normal between 6 and 12 months of age. � �
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Pediatrics � �
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/Symptom-Checker/Pages/Newborn-Appearance-Questions.aspx � �
KidsHealth � �
http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_center/childbirth/newborn_variations.html � �
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. � �
Copyright
Copyright � � 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. � �