During the first hours of the baby’s life, there are many doubts that assail parents, especially if they are first-time. Babies are not usually born perfect as we see them in the movies, and it is normal for certain things to cause concern about their appearance and care.
As a pediatrician, I answer the 17 most frequent questions about the newborn in the first hours of your baby’s life .
1. Are these pimples normal?
Erythema toxicity of the newborn is the most common rash in the newborn and appears in up to half of all babies. They are pimples on a reddened base . The baby is not bothered and no special treatment is required. They disappear after a few days.
It is also common to see small whitish-yellowish bumps on the nose and chin that are known by the name of milium and that are not important either; they will disappear in a few weeks.
2. Why is your head deformed?
The head of the newborn is made up of several bones joined by what we call sutures. During pregnancy and childbirth, the head is subjected to many pressures and can become deformed. Sometimes a lump (like a bump) may also appear, which is called a caput . Relax, as the days go by, the shape of the head returns to normal .
3. When I move the umbilical cord to clean it, does it hurt?
Not at all, it doesn’t hurt. We must move it to clean it well in all areas, daily with soap and water and leave it dry afterwards.
The umbilical cord usually falls off between 5 and 15 days of life . If you notice a bad smell, redness of the skin around the navel or yellowish liquid leakage, you should consult.
4. Is it normal for my skin to be so dry?
Desquamation is common in newborns ; It usually starts at 24-48h of life, but babies who are in the gut for a longer time can already be born with flaky skin and also tend to have it more wrinkled. They do not require any special care, although oil or cream can be applied if desired.
5. I thought I saw blood on the diaper. I have to worry?
It is common to see pink or orange spots on the diaper in the first 2-3 days of the newborn’s life. It is not blood, but urates , crystals that are formed by the concentration of salts that give that orange color.
We see them when the urine becomes very concentrated, which can happen at first. We just have to watch that our baby is well hydrated . This brick or orange color is different from that of blood, which can also appear physiologically in girls in the first days of life due to the passage of maternal hormones.
6. What do I do with that white substance that covers your skin?
The newborn’s skin is covered with a whitish / grayish semi-fatty substance called vernix caseous . It is not necessary to clean it completely as it seems to have a nourishing function for the skin and protect against infections
7. What is that soft area on your head?
In the upper part of the head there is a slight dip in the shape of a rhombus called the anterior fontanelle , and in the back of the head another similar in the shape of a triangle called the posterior fontanelle.
Fontanelles allow brain growth and close over the months (the anterior between 9 and 18 months and the posterior much earlier)
8. Why are my hands and feet blue and cold?
The circulation of newborns is still immature, especially the capillaries, which are the smallest blood vessels and those in the most remote areas (hands and feet).
This is why the hands and feet of newborns tend to be cold and sometimes bluish. If we increase their temperature or rub their hands or feet a little, that color will disappear.
9. You sneeze a lot, will you have a cold?
Sneezing is common in newborns and has nothing to do with having a cold. You will see how as the weeks go by they decrease.
Hiccups are also very common in newborns, you may even notice it in the last weeks of pregnancy. It is completely normal and transitory.
10. His nails are very long, when can I cut them?
Babies are usually born with very long nails. They are very fragile nails, which break easily and are also very attached to the skin; that is why we recommend waiting a few days to cut them.
When done, a blunt-tipped scissors can be used; there are parents who prefer to file them. It is important that we cut them straight and without leaving peaks.
11. How often do you have to eat?
It is undoubtedly one of the star questions of the parents of newborns. The three hour rule is totally out of date . Now both the bottle and the breast must be given on demand.
In general, newborns take between 8 and 12 feedings a day. Sometimes it will take 3 hours between feedings and sometimes just one.
We must offer them whenever they claim it. It can also happen, especially the first days of life, that babies sleep many hours at a time . In this case, there are a variety of opinions and we must individualize each case (a 2 kg premature baby who is breastfeeding is not the same as a 4 kg full-term baby who takes artificial formula), but you must avoid spending several hours without eating the first days of life.
12. You have a lot of vaginal discharge, can I clean it?
In girls, vaginal discharge is normal during the first days of life due to the passage of maternal hormones. Sometimes they even have a small menstruation without it being a problem. They must be cleaned in the usual way after changing the diaper and in the bathroom, it is not necessary to remove the flow.
13. How much do I have to keep him warm?
Babies are generally just as hot and cold as we are. We tend to overcoat babies and this is not recommended.
It is true that newborns and during the first days of life regulate temperature a little worse, but it would be enough to put one more layer on them than we carry . It is recommended that we dress babies in cotton clothing and avoid tight clothing.
14. When can I start walking him?
From the day you leave the hospital! The walk is very beneficial, both for the baby and for the mother. Take advantage of the central hours of the day in winter, when the temperature is better, and the first hour of the morning and the last hour of the afternoon in summer, which is when it is not so hot anymore.
Try to avoid very noisy and smoky places. And remember that the sun should not hit the baby directly.
15. You have a lot of hair, will it fall out?
Newborns can be born covered in very fine hair called lanugo that will shed during the first weeks of life.
Likewise, the hair on the head will also disappear around 3 months of life, and the new hair will appear throughout the first year.
16. Sometimes you breathe fast, is this normal?
Both the breathing and the heartbeat of a newborn are much faster than those of an adult.
Thus, their respiratory rate is between 40 to 60 breaths per minute and their heart rate ranges between 120 and 160 beats per minute .
But in addition, newborns can have periodic breathing, this is a regular rhythm with a period of absence of breath of 5-10 seconds.
17. Her breasts are swollen, am I scared?
The bulging of the breasts is normal in newborns, both in boys and girls due to the passage of hormones from the mother. It is transitory, although sometimes it takes time to disappear. Avoid touching and squeezing them.
In Babies and more | Fourth trimester: the baby has already been born and is not inside you, but it needs you as if it were
