What a newborn looks like ┆Newborn Care
How will my baby look in the first moments?
Newborns have big heads, no necks, short legs and
big, distended torsos. In short, they look like ET. Because newborns
have spent an average of 12 hours squeezing through the birth canal,
their head can often be a little pointy. Babies born by caesarean often have an edge, beauty-wise, because their heads don't have to squeeze through the birth canal.
Don't be alarmed by the soft spots on your baby's skull, known as fontanelles, which allows the head to compress enough to fit through the birth canal. The rear fontanelle takes about four months to close, while a front one takes between nine and 18 months. Also expect your baby's genitals to be somewhat swollen from the extra dose of female hormones he got from you just before birth; the face and the eyes can appear swollen as well. His lips will be pink and his hands and feet blue for the first few hours of life.
Don't be alarmed by the soft spots on your baby's skull, known as fontanelles, which allows the head to compress enough to fit through the birth canal. The rear fontanelle takes about four months to close, while a front one takes between nine and 18 months. Also expect your baby's genitals to be somewhat swollen from the extra dose of female hormones he got from you just before birth; the face and the eyes can appear swollen as well. His lips will be pink and his hands and feet blue for the first few hours of life.
What will my baby's skin be like?
Newborn skin varies in appearance
according to how many weeks pregnant you were when your baby was born.
Premature babies have thin, transparent-looking skin and may be covered
with lanugo, a fine, downy hair. Babies born prematurely will also still
be covered with vernix, a greasy white substance that protects his skin
from the amniotic fluid. Full-term and late babies will have only a few
traces of vernix in the folds of their skin. Late babies may also have a
slightly wrinkly appearance and very little, if any, lanugo.
Birthmarks -- ranging from temporary off-coloured patches to permanent splotches -- are common. About half of all babies are born with milia, white dots on their faces that look like tiny pimples. These disappear in time.
Birthmarks -- ranging from temporary off-coloured patches to permanent splotches -- are common. About half of all babies are born with milia, white dots on their faces that look like tiny pimples. These disappear in time.
What colour will my baby's hair be?
Whatever your own and your partner's hair
colour, be prepared for some surprises: remember, you are both carrying
genes from former generations. Dark-haired couples have been thrown
when their children are born with bright red or blond hair and vice
versa. And then there are the parents who bemoan their baby's baldness.
In fact, newborn hair doesn't actually have much bearing on what your
child's hair will eventually turn out like. Raven-haired newborns can
grow up to be blondes, while blondes often turn into brunettes.
Of course, your baby may be completely bald when he is born, in which case you won't know his hair colour till a little later on.
Of course, your baby may be completely bald when he is born, in which case you won't know his hair colour till a little later on.
How about his eyes?
Wondering what colour your baby's eyes
will be? Most Caucasian babies are born with dark blue eyes and their
true eye colour -- be it brown, green, hazel or blue -- may not reveal
itself for a few months. The colour of your baby's eyes in the first
minutes after birth won't last -- exposure to light changes a baby's
initial eye colour. Most babies of African or Asian origin have dark
grey or brown eyes at birth, their dark eyes becoming a true brown or
black after the first six months or year. Mixed race children can have a
variety of different eye colours. It's even possible for babies to be
born with eyes of two different colours, although this is rare.
Category: Newborn Care
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