It is important to understand what to expect from your newborn, the following is normal.
Your baby…
- may hiccup now and then for the first three months
- will pass black stools for 2 days, then a mixed stool moving to a runny yellow stool with little lumps in it
- may have swollen eyelids
- both sexes may have swollen genitalia and breasts due to the mother’s hormones
- little girls may have a vaginal discharge- mucus with some blood present>
- may have little white pimples on the nose (Milia)
- from the 2nd day may have a rash – a small dot with a red blotch around it (Erythema Toxicum) will disappear after a few days
- may have dry skin especially if he/she is overdue, add a few drops of baby oil to the bath after you have washed baby’s hair
- may have red blotches at the back of the neck, forehead and eyelids. They will fade over the first year
- may have a dark mark on their lower back (Mongolian spot)
- may have orange deposits in the nappy (urates) baby possibly needs more milk>
- after a normal birth the baby’s head may be a strange shape and could have a soft bump due to the pressure of the birth, this will normalize over the next few weeks
- could have a bruise on the head especially if a vacuum has been used. This will take time to go away and may be tender to touch
- may have fine hair all over the body (lanugo)>
- may lose 7 to 10 % of his /her weight – needs to regain or exceed birth weight by two weeks