What newborn children look like , young parents know only by hearsay and represent a sort of angel. All the fault of photographs in magazines when the baby was just born, and already represents a pink-cheeked little peanut. However, such expectations begin to come true only by the third month of the baby's life. Therefore, the first meeting of a child and his mother sometimes happens quite excitingly, and stress adds an unusual look to which parents are not ready. Often they get scared and suggest various non-existent diseases in the child. But usually such fears are completely groundless, therefore it is so important to understand how newborn children look in the first minutes.
Features of the skin
As soon as the baby is born, its skin looks cyanotic. This is due to the lack of oxygen that the child experienced while passing through the birth canal. But, as soon as the newborn makes the first cry, the skin turns pink and even turns red. This means that the body is saturated with oxygen, and the blood vessels from a sharp change in temperature first narrowed, and then gradually expanded. Such a phenomenon is completely normal, and you should not be scared. Within 2-3 days, skin color normalizes.
However, the appearance of newborn babies that appeared prematurely, you also need to know. Their skin may be dark red. This is due to the fact that subcutaneous tissue is practically absent, and the vessels and capillaries are located very close to the surface. Due to the thin subcutaneous layer, such children often form folds and wrinkles.
If the body of the newborn soon becomes a pleasant pink tint, then the feet and palms can still give blue. This is due to an imperfect circulatory system, when distant parts of the body are not supplied with oxygen in the required norm. But as soon as the baby becomes more active, constantly jerking its legs and arms, the skin color is restored.
The presence of primordial grease
Not everyone imagines what newborn babies look like. The photo conveys the appearance in more detail, it shows that the baby's body is covered with grayish grease. It consists of dead epithelial cells and fat. While in the womb, the fetus floated in amniotic fluid, a protective layer was needed to protect the skin from getting wet. In addition, the lubricant has a sliding effect and helps the baby go through the birth canal.
Doctors of the maternity hospital know how newborn children look in the first minutes and warn their mother that lubrication does not harm the child, but performs many functions. In addition to protecting the skin and assisting in childbirth, one can distinguish its peculiarity: it has a bactericidal effect and prevents infection from outside the skin.
If you carefully examine the baby, you can see that most of the lubrication can be observed in the ears, in the armpits, cervical fold and on the back surface of the body. The midwife removes the original plaque even in the maternity ward, since he has already fulfilled his role and is becoming useless.
Skull features
Knowing what newborns look like in the early days is important because children have a ton of features that indicate their health. So, the head is always large and significantly exceeds the size of the body. If usually the girth of the skull of a healthy baby is 33-35 cm, then the girth of the chest is 30-33 cm. But if the head is much larger than the prescribed norms, this signals a disease and requires a doctor's consultation. By about three months of life, the dimensions of the skull and body circumference are aligned. Further, the breast increases and always exceeds the size of the head.
Parents can be frightened by how newborn children look in the first minutes of life, because their skull is elongated top. But the bones are still mobile and displaced relative to each other. This is necessary so that during the passage of the birth canal the head can pass such a difficult barrier. But with active squeezing during contractions and attempts, the baby's head takes on a shape similar to an egg, which the mother sees after childbirth. But after a few days, the bones of the skull fall into place, the head gradually acquires the usual rounded features.
Possible problems on the baby’s head
To assess the situation, you should understand how newborn children look. If the baby was born through the use of obstetric forceps, then on the head there may be a small hematoma that is filled with blood. Its location is most often fixed on the back of the head or in the Temech region. A similar problem is called cephalohematomas and requires only observation. Usually, the pathology disappears after 2-3 months and does not require special treatment. Larger formations can dissolve a little more time. But the doctor and mother should constantly monitor the swelling, because sometimes suppuration occurs. In this case, surgical intervention will be required.
Not everyone imagines what newborn babies look like. Labor is given with difficulty not only to the mother, but also to the child himself. The part of the head that first passed through the birth canal experiences great stress, and there may be birth edema on it. The tumor is usually localized in the parietal or occipital part and is more pronounced during prolonged labor. Usually the problem does not require treatment and resolves independently after 3-4 days.
Attention to the face of the baby
Almost all parents, especially newly made fathers, care about what the face of a newborn baby looks like. They peer into the features of the baby and try to see the resemblance to themselves. However, the baby after birth may have such a swollen face that even her eyes are closed all the time. During the passage of the birth canal, there was constant compression, which disrupted the outflow of venous blood, resulting in swelling. Do not worry about this, this condition disappears in a few days.
Some newborns may have red spots on their faces. These are just bundles of blood vessels that shine through the baby’s thin skin. Usually they are fixed:
- between the eyebrows;
- in the eyelids;
- behind the ears;
- on the neck.
Sometimes spots can appear 2-3 days after birth, and some with them are born. They do not require medical intervention and go on their own by three years.
Eye color
The way the newborn children look, the photo clearly shows. Sometimes all babies look like eye color. It is this indicator that always worries parents, and they wonder who the heir will go to. But it’s known that up to six months the color of the eyes can change, so it’s not worth saying that you had a blue-eyed boy, up to six months of his life. Most newborns are united by this color, but by the month the iris begins to change.
The baby still has little pigment, which leads to the same eye color in many newborns. But as it grows, the eyes darken, but there may be a reverse situation, if there is a corresponding heredity.
Immediately after birth, the whites of the eyes may be red. This occurs due to bursting vessels during childbirth and hemorrhage. The symptom disappears within a few days on its own.
Baby body characteristics
We find out further what newborn children look like. The baby’s torso is usually dressed up, the cams are tightly pressed and pressed to the chest, the legs are also bent. A similar situation is similar to that in which the fetus was still in the womb. Doctors always diagnose an increased tone in a born baby, and this is normal. But it is important that gradually the palms begin to open, the legs move. There are certain medical standards by which they judge the development of the baby:
- hypertonicity of the upper extremities should pass by the fourth month of life;
- increased tone in the legs - in the fifth month.
If the problem persists, then massage, physiotherapy exercises and other procedures are prescribed.
Is there any hair
All parents are interested in what newborn babies look like. Appearance sometimes makes you smile when a newborn baby has a thick head of hair. Yes, the child may well have hair, but their complete absence is also considered the norm. It is noted that during the first year of life, the first hair is gradually replaced by permanent. In addition, their color may slightly change.
The presence of fontanelles
All newborns are characterized by the presence of several fontanelles on the head. These are places where the bones of the skull are mobile and converge during childbirth, facilitating the passage of the head. There are large fontanel and small. The large one is located on the top of the head and has a diamond shape. Most often, it has a size of 2 x 2 cm. By its parameters, the condition of the baby is judged. If you put a palm to it, you can feel a slight ripple. It should be completely closed by the year of the child's life.
In the back of the head is a small fontanel and resembles a small triangle. Its side can be no more than 0.5 cm. It should completely close by 2-3 months.
Special features of the genitals
Of course, many will recognize the gender of the baby before birth, but genitals after birth always examine the information. Here, many parents can expect a surprise, but not related to the appearance of a girl instead of a boy or vice versa.
Immediately after birth, in both sexes, the genitals appear very large. If the boys' dads can even be proud of it, then more sane parents are worried. But the problem is usually associated with the presence in the blood of a newborn of a large amount of estrogen received from the mother. The edema is temporary and disappears without a trace after 2-3 weeks. If the pathology does not go away, then a doctor's consultation is required.
Navel is important
We continue to consider how newborn children look in the hospital. The main distinguishing feature of a baby who has just been born is his navel. During childbirth, the umbilical cord is cut off in this place, and the remainder is bandaged and a so-called clothespin is put on. For 2-3 days it is removed, and the umbilical wound must be treated for another month at home.
In the maternity hospital, all mothers must be taught to care for an unhealed belly button. To do this, use hydrogen peroxide or the usual greenhouse. In order not to introduce an infection, at first it is recommended to bathe the baby in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Signs of infection may include:
- redness of the edges of the wound;
- white or yellow discharge;
- bad smell.
If at least one of the symptoms is noticeable, it is important to show the child to the pediatrician.
Is strabismus the norm?
In some babies, strabismus can be observed in the early days. In this case, periodically, the pupils come to the bridge of the nose or, conversely, leave. Ophthalmologists warn that such a phenomenon is a sign of norm, and explain it with weakness and underdevelopment of the eye muscles. The kid cannot yet fix his gaze on a specific subject. However, if such a problem does not resolve on its own by six months, then a medical correction is necessary.
Physiological jaundice
A few hours after birth, the baby's skin may acquire a yellow tint. This problem is physiological and is associated with the breakdown of bilirubin. A similar pathology worries many babies. At the same time, not only the skin turns yellow, but also the sclera of the eyes. Bilirubin should actively remove the liver, but its enzymes are still not perfect. Therefore, fetal hemoglobin accumulates in the blood, which causes yellowness of the skin.
As all organs of the newborn ripen, bilirubin also begins to be actively excreted. Therefore, within 1-2 weeks the problem recedes. However, sometimes medical and physiological treatment is required. In this case, doctors can prescribe:
- UV irradiation;
- glucose administration;
- choleretic drugs.
This condition cannot be ignored, because an excess of bilirubin causes severe intoxication and causes great harm to a small body.
Swollen mammary glands
Sometimes mothers may notice swollen mammary glands in their newborn babies. And it doesn’t matter whether it is a girl or a boy. Within a few days, the glands become larger, and this happens symmetrically. Interestingly, no other changes are observed. There is no redness, but white fluid may begin to stand out, which causes parental fear. Experts even analyzed the composition of this fluid and found that it is close to colostrum.
Do not be afraid of this state. The reason for the swelling of the mammary glands is the presence of a large number of estrogen mothers, which were transmitted through the placenta. Hormones are gradually excreted from the body of crumbs, the baby takes on a familiar look.
When there is a problem
Unfortunately, children are not always born completely healthy. There are diseases that can be determined by one appearance already in the maternity hospital. Find out what newborns with Down syndrome look like:
- Raised eyelids and narrow eyes.
- Flattened face and nape.
- There is a characteristic fold on the neck.
- The auditory meatus is narrow.
- The back of the fingers in the folds.
- Growth below normal (in the future, this threatens obesity).
- Limb movements are chaotic and too active (as a result, there is a high risk of dysplasia).
Doctors know what newborns with Down syndrome look like, but a final diagnosis can only be made on the basis of additional studies. The main problem is some deformation of the skull. As a result, deviations in the development of the brain are recorded. But if you properly develop such a baby, take rehabilitation courses, that is, there are great chances for successful education and socialization.
Conclusion
It is useful for young parents to know in advance what a healthy newborn baby looks like so as not to be afraid of familiar things. The baby will very soon become a pink-skinned little baby who often looks from the pages of magazines. However, in the delivery room the baby sometimes resembles a shriveled old man with his hands clasped, his legs raised to his chest, the skin is covered with gray grease, and his face is swollen.
With proper care, the appearance soon returns to normal. However, it is important to know which signs do not require close attention, and what should alert. Often, the appearance of the newborn can make a preliminary diagnosis. The sooner the problem has been identified, the more chances there are for a correction of the condition.