MemorialCare - Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care

Newborn Appearance

New babies don’t usually look the way you expected. After your little one is placed on your chest and dried off, you’ll probably notice some characteristics that will surprise you. Even more amazing is how much your baby’s appearance will change in the hours, days, and weeks after birth.

Normal Skin Findings • Red bumps (newborn rash) are common and caused by your hormones • Dry or peeling feet, hands, and scalp as baby sheds outer layer of dead skin • Small, white, pimple-like bumps (milia) on baby’s nose and cheeks • White, waxy coating (vernix) protecting baby’s skin; will be absorbed so don’t wash off • Blotchy, flat, pink or purple marks (stork bites, salmon patches) usually on back of neck • Flat pink or red birthmarks (angel kisses) on forehead or eyelid; should fade by age 2 • Slate gray patches on darker skinned baby’s back, buttocks; usually fade by school age • Most newborn skin conditions will improve in the first few weeks after birth

Swollen Breasts and Genitals • Both male and female newborns’ breasts and genitals may look swollen • Breasts may secrete a small amount of fluid • Baby girls may have a small amount of blood-tinged vaginal discharge • Breast and genital swelling and fluid discharge should stop in a few days

Head Shape • Baby’s head may appear egg-shaped, pointed, or flattened at birth • Two soft spots ( fontanelles ) on your baby’s head (top and back) where skull bones haven’t fused • Fontanelles will close and fuse together permanently as your baby grows

Eyes • Newborns can only see 8 to 10 inches ahead but are alert and may turn their head toward different sounds • Eye color may be gray-blue or brown at birth; darker-skinned babies are usually born with dark eyes • It will take 6 to 12 months to know your baby’s final eye color • It’s normal for your baby’s eyes to sometimes cross; it will resolve in 3 to 4 months • Red spots in the whites of your baby’s eyes are normal; they will disappear in 1 to 2 weeks

25

Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care