Why Newborns Look So Funny?
Following are some of the not-so-perfect physical traits newborns display and the reasons behind it:-
Newborn’s Head
The head being the first part which passes through the narrow birth canal, it is affected by the delivery process. So, if the delivery has been through the vagina, the newborn’s head might look stretched out, elongated or even pointed at birth. This is a normal occurrence and the head comes back to its normal shape over the next few days. The soft spots in the baby’s head called fontanels were the ones which were compressed and now they’ll allow the quick development of the brain.
Newborn’s Face
A newborn’s face usually looks puffy due to fluid accumulation. At times, it may also be distorted due to its positioning in the uterus and the trip through the narrow birth canal. Nothing to worry as the face regains its normal appearance over the next few days.
Newborn’s Eyes
Sometimes newborn’s eye may seem crossed or puffy or the white part may seem red. These conditions occur due to inability to focus, fluid accumulation and subconjuctival hemorrhage respectively. These are normal and generally go after a few days. As for the color of the eye, if the eye is brown at birth it normally continues to be so but bluish grey eyes tend to darken. The color seen at 6-9 months age is usually the permanent one.
Newborn’s Ears
In a newborn the ear cartilage is still soft which results in floppy distorted ears. As the cartilage hardens the ear gains a shape.
Newborn’s Nose
The baby’s nose may look swollen and flattened after birth due to the pressure faced by it during delivery. It regains its shape in a few days.
Newborn’s Chest
Due to the passing of female hormone estrogen to the fetus during pregnancy, both male and female newborns show traits of swollen breasts and at times milky fluid may also be released from the nipples. This symptom disappears within the first few weeks.
Newborn’s Abdomen
It’s normal to find the belly a little rounded and full and also the baby losing weight. All these conditions disappear within the next few months and the baby gains weight rapidly. The umbilical stump which remains after birth falls off within 3 weeks to reveal the belly button.
Newborn’s Genitals
The genitals of the newborn may appear to be swollen due to its exposure to hormones in the mother’s body. In case of girls, there might be a white blood tinged mucus discharge. All these go away within a few weeks.
Newborn’s Arms & Legs
Initially the baby may display clasped hands and curled up arms and legs because that is the position they were inside the womb. It may take a few weeks for them to stretch out completely.
Newborn’s Skin
The skin of the baby is thin at first and also of different hues right from purple red to pinkish. A yellowish discoloration might occur due to jaundice which is a common occurrence. There may also be little rashes or acne which goes away within a few weeks. The top layer of the skin usually flakes off during the first week.
Newborn’s Hair
The hair may show different color and texture at birth which is bound to change over the next few months.
Newborn’s Birthmarks
Lastly, birthmarks on the face or body are very common which may fade away or stay.
