Welcome to the world title one!

Your newborn will likely look different than those beautiful google images of porcelain skinned babies you looked up (well, I did anyway) and you may wonder what is normal and what is not.

First, the newborn baby is swollen from the amniotic fluid as well as having made its way out of the birthing canal, and will usually continue to look this way for the first couple of days. The baby will be covered in Vernix - a white waxy substance from the secretion of baby’s oil glands that protects it’s skin from the amniotic fluid. 

Because of it’s immature blood circulation, the baby’s hands and feet will likely appear blue for the first days of life, however acrocyanosis is a very normal condition for a newborn and nothing to be worried about.

If you are wondering if Lanugo, the soft, downy hair covering your baby (my son looked like a little chipmunk!) to protect it in the utero, rubs off on its own in a month or so. You may find tiny hairs in baby’s bedding and clothing indicating that the baby is indeed “shedding” it’s fur coat and becoming more and more like a “real” baby.

Milia, tiny pimples on a baby’s face is a common newborn condition that appears because the baby’s sebaceous glands are not fully developed yet and will usually vanish by itself.

Baby acne however can occur between 3 to 5 weeks of life due to maternal hormones but should also be left alone as it will typically disappear around 2 months of age when baby’s pores begin to open.

Folliculitis is a bacterial or fungal infection of the hair follicles that can appear anywhere on the body, most often covering arms, legs or face with tiny pimples or blisters containing white or yellow fluid or blood. Baby should be cleaned with warm water and soap as well as have warm compresses which can help the folliculitis dissolve on its own. If the condition persists, the baby’s doctor can prescribe antibiotics for treatment. 

Umbilical cord is cut off in the hospital at birth. Some parents will want to delay cord cutting until the placenta and the cord have stopped pulsating. This increases the baby's oxygen rich blood storage reducing the risk for iron deficiency and supporting healthy brain development.

Typically, delayed cord cutting is only a standard for preterm babies and parents would have to advocate for themselves not to have the cord clamped and cut immediately after the birth.

Download the free birth plan from Doulas of Boston here.