Those cute little bundles of joy can vary greatly in appearance; from wrinkles to birthmarks to pointy heads. Have no fear! Below is a list of various normal ways baby might look.
Vernix
A white, thick coating that forms from baby's oil glands to protect their delicate skin while growing in the womb. Vernix is full of immune properties, and helps with thermoregulation, so consider delaying the first bath a couple of days and instead massage this natural moisturizer into their skin.
Colouring
It might be alarming to see baby turn from a purplish to a dark red, but as baby begins to fill its lungs with air their colour will normalize. you will notice that the hands and feet may stay blue for a few days, as the rest of the body is pink; this is because their circulation is focusing on keeping the core nice and warm. You might notice a slight yellow tinge to the skin or the whites of their eyes; this is called jaundice. Their liver is working hard on removing the extra bilirubin (a normal breakdown of blood cells) and passes through the stool. The Doctor or Midwife will monitor this to ensure that baby is processing it efficiently. it appears 1-2 days after birth and usually disappears by week 2.
Molding
Baby may appear to have a bit of a pointy head! all normal! The skull gently overlap to form this shape as it passes through the birth canal. The head will begin to return to a rounder shape just a few days after birth.
Milia
Milia are small white bumps that appear on the nose, chin and forehead. These are oil glands. When they form in the mouth and gums, these are call Epstein pearls.
Stork bites AKA Salmon patches
These are caused by cluster of immature blood vessels, which usually fade or disappear by age 2. These red patches are sometimes pink, found on the forehead, eyelids, back of the neck, top of the lip. They are most visible when baby is crying.
Mongolian Spots
Dark blue to purple in colour, they can look scary as they can be mistaken for bruising. Found usually on lower back to buttocks region, and are more commonly found in African-American and Asian babies, but can be found in dark-skinned babies of all races. They are a concentration of pigmented skin cells. Within the first four years of life, they are a distant memory.
Lanugo
Baby's shoulders, back and forehead might be sporting some extra hair! Meaning" wool" in Latin, it is there to anchor the vernix to the skin. This soft hair eventually goes away within the few weeks.
Port Wine Stain
These flat, red, pink or purple birthmarks. They do not go away. This is due to a high concentration of capillaries( tiny blood vessels) Usually found on the neck or head, they may be large or small and do not change colour or disappear. Port wine stains can grow and become darker, and bleed if the blood vessels break.
Newborn breast swelling
This can occur in both boys and girls around the third day of life. The breasts may simply swell or leak the milky substance. This is due to mothers hormones, and dissipates within a few weeks. Avoid massaging the breasts, as this can injure the tissue and cause infection.
Depending on the number of weeks that the baby was born (gestational age), girls can have a small amount of white discharge or blood from the vagina in the early weeks of life. Don't panic like I did. This is a normal response to mother's hormones. Premature girls have a prominent inner labia and clitoris, whereas a full-term girl has a larger outer labia. The appearance of a premature boy's scrotum may be smooth, flat and testicles may not descend. Full-term boys will have descended testicles and ridges in the scrotum.
Tannis Bundi is a registered massage therapist, child birth educator and postpartum doula. She also has additional training in Thai massage, prenatal massage, infant massage, prenatal and postpartum yoga, reiki level 2, craniosacral therapy, myfascial release, shiatsu for prenatal and infant care. Yup she is superwoman. You can find out more about Tannis' postpartum services at www.westenddoulas.com
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