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What a Healthy Newborn Looks Like

November 21, 2006 by GreatDad Writers 5 Comments

 Newborn babies
don’t usually look like the cute babies in diaper ads. Newborns’ heads are often more pointed than
round. Their skin may be wrinkly and reddish in color. This is normal.

In the center of
your baby’s head is a “soft spot” where the skull bones have not yet joined. This allows your baby’s
head to be flexible during the birthing process. The skull bones will grow together to cover this
spot as your baby grows. Meantime, the soft spot allows your baby’s brain to grow.

Sometimes there are dark red patches on the baby’s eyelids. They can also be on the
bridge of the nose or back of the neck. No one knows what causes these. They usually go away during
the first year.

Some babies are born bald, some have thin hair, and others are born with
thick, dark hair. For many babies, this first hair rubs off. For others, the color may change.

Eye color can also change after birth. Eye color is usually set by the end of the first
year.

The umbilical cord that is left on the navel at birth will drop off in five to 10
days. The place where it falls off will become your baby’s belly button.

Sometimes baby
girls bleed from the vagina. Sometimes boys or girls will have swollen breasts. They may even
produce a few drops of milk at birth. Hormones from the mother cause this. The discharge is harmless
and will soon disappear.

This content has been provided freely by CMC. Click Healthy Start, Grow Smart—Your Newborn for
your free download. Click GreatDad
Free Ebook
to download the entire Health Start, Grow Smart series.

Note: For info on sex after delivery, subscribe now to the GreatDad newsletter for new dads.

Previous / Next: Newborn
Reflexes

Filed Under: Baby

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. chasity says

    November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    my baby is 7 months old and i have the same problem with my babys soft spot, it beats like a heart would, is that normal, please email me asap, thank you

    Log in to Reply
  2. Rezan says

    November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Hi, could you please ansewr my question which is:
    my baby is 2 months old and the centre of his head is beating (like a heart beat), is that normal? and when it will stop? thank you

    Log in to Reply
  3. Rezan says

    November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Hi, could you please ansewr my question which is:
    my baby is 2 months old and the centre of his head is beating (like a heart beat), is that normal? and when it will stop? thank you

    Log in to Reply
  4. Commonman says

    November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Hey Rezan, I’m not a doc. Just some commonsense advice: It’s not anything to worry about. The soft spot beats likes that on all babies. However, get your pediatrician’s confirmation on that.

    Log in to Reply
  5. Latricia says

    November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Hevcuka good job. I sure appreciate it.

    Log in to Reply

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