You can usually move your newborn's legs and feet into a "walking" position; and this will happen naturally as a baby begins to bear weight, walk, and grow through the first 2 to 3 years of life. It's normal for a baby's abdomen belly to appear somewhat full and rounded. When your baby cries or strains, you may also note that the skin over the central area of the abdomen may protrude between the strips of muscle tissue making up the abdominal wall on either side.
This almost always disappears during the next several months as a baby grows. Many parents are concerned about the appearance and care of their infant's umbilical cord. The cord contains three blood vessels two arteries and a vein encased in a jelly-like substance. Following delivery, the cord is clamped or tied off before it's cut to separate the infant from the placenta. The umbilical stump is then simply allowed to wither and drop off, which usually happens in about 10 days to 3 weeks. You may be instructed to swab the area with alcohol periodically or wash it with soap and water if the stump becomes dirty or sticky to help prevent infection until the cord falls off and the stump dries up.
The baby's navel area shouldn't be submerged in water during bathing until this occurs. The withering cord will go through color changes, from yellow to brown or black — this is normal. You should consult your baby's doctor if the navel area becomes red or if a foul odor or discharge develops. Umbilical navel hernias are common in newborns, particularly in infants of African heritage.
These hernias are generally harmless and aren't painful to the infant. Most close on their own during the first few years, but a simple surgical procedure can fix the hernia if it doesn't close by itself. Home remedies for umbilical hernias that have been tried through the years, such as strapping and taping coins over the area, should not be attempted. These techniques are ineffective and may result in skin infections or other injuries. The genitalia sexual organs of both male and female infants may appear relatively large and swollen at birth.
It's due to several factors, including exposure to hormones produced by both the mother and the fetus, bruising and swelling of the genital tissues related to birth trauma, and the natural course of development of the genitalia. In girls, the outer lips of the vagina labia majora may appear puffy at birth.
The skin of the labia may be either smooth or somewhat wrinkled. Sometimes, a small piece of pink tissue may protrude between the labia — this is a hymenal tag and it's of no significance; it will eventually recede into the labia as the genitals grow.
Due to the effects of maternal hormones, most newborn girls will have a vaginal discharge of mucus and perhaps some blood that lasts for a few days. This "mini-period" is normal menstrual-type bleeding from the infant's uterus that occurs as the estrogen passed to the infant by the mother begins to disappear.
Although it's much more common in boys, swelling in the groin of an infant girl can indicate the presence of an inguinal groin hernia. In boys, the scrotum the sack containing the testicles often looks swollen.
This is usually due to a hydrocele , a collection of fluid in the scrotum of infant boys that usually disappears during the first 3 to 6 months. You should call your doctor about swelling or bulging in your son's scrotum or groin that lasts beyond 3 to 6 months or that seems to come and go.
This may indicate an inguinal hernia, which usually requires surgical treatment. The testicles of newborn boys may be difficult to feel in the swollen scrotum. Muscles attached to the testicles pull them up into the groin briskly when the genital area is touched or exposed to a cool environment.
Infant boys also normally experience frequent penile erections , often just before they urinate. If your baby is delivered in a hospital, nursery personnel will want to know if this happens while your infant is with you. If a newborn doesn't urinate for what seems like a while at first, it may be that he or she urinated immediately after birth while still in the delivery room.
With all the activity going on, that first urination may not have been noticed. If your infant son was circumcised , it usually takes between 7 to 10 days for the penis to heal. Until it does, the tip may seem raw or yellowish in color. Although this is normal, certain other symptoms are not. Call your child's doctor right away if you notice persistent bleeding, redness around the tip of the penis that gets worse after 3 days, fever , signs of infection such as the presence of pus-filled blisters , and not urinating normally within 6 to 8 hours after the circumcision.
With both circumcised and uncircumcised penises, no cotton swabs, astringents, or any special bath products are needed — simple soap and warm water every time you bathe your baby will do the trick. No special washing precautions are needed for newly circumcised babies, other than to be gentle, as your baby may have some mild discomfort after the circumcision.
If your son has a bandage on his incision, you might need to apply a new one whenever you change his diaper for a day or two after the procedure put petroleum jelly on the bandage so it won't stick to his skin. Doctors often also recommend putting a dab of petroleum jelly on the baby's penis or on the front of the diaper to alleviate any potential discomfort caused by friction against the diaper.
How you take care of your baby's penis may also vary depending on the type of circumcision procedure the doctor performs. Be sure to discuss what after-care will be needed. If your baby boy wasn't circumcised, be sure to never forcibly pull back the foreskin to clean beneath it. Instead, gently tense it against the tip of the penis and wash off any smegma the whitish "beads" of dead skin cells mixed with the body's natural oil.
Over time, the foreskin will retract on its own so that it can be pulled away from the glans toward the abdomen. This happens at different times for different boys, but most can retract their foreskins by the time they're 5 years old.
There's little doubt about the origin of the expression "still wet behind the ears," used to describe someone new or inexperienced.
Newborns are covered with various fluids at delivery, including amniotic fluid and often some blood the mother's, not the baby's. Nurses or other personnel attending the birth will promptly begin drying the infant to avoid a drop in the baby's body temperature that will occur if moisture on the skin evaporates rapidly.
Newborns are also coated with a thick, pasty, white material called vernix caseosa made up of the fetus' shed skin cells and skin gland secretions , most of which will be washed off during the baby's first bath.
The hue and color patterns of a newborn's skin may be startling to some parents. Mottling of the skin, a lacy pattern of small reddish and pale areas, is common because of the normal instability of the blood circulation at the skin's surface.
For similar reasons, acrocyanosis , or blueness of the skin of the hands and feet and the area surrounding the lips, is often present, especially if the infant is in a cool environment. When bearing down to cry or having a bowel movement, an infant's skin temporarily may appear beet-red or bluish-purple.
Red marks, scratches, bruises, and petechiae tiny specks of blood that have leaked from small blood vessels in the skin are all common on the face and other body parts. They're caused by the trauma of squeezing through the birth canal. These will heal and disappear during the first week or two of life. Fine, soft hair, called lanugo , may be on a newborn's face, shoulders, and back. Most of this hair is usually shed in the uterus before the baby is delivered; for this reason, lanugo is more often seen on babies born prematurely.
In any case, this hair will disappear in a few weeks. The top layer of a newborn's skin will flake off during the first week or two. This is normal and doesn't require any special skin care. Peeling skin may be present at birth in some infants, particularly those who are born past their due date. If your baby's umbilical cord area seems to push outward when she cries, she may have an umbilical hernia —a small hole in the muscular part of the abdominal wall that allows the tissue to bulge out when there is increased abdominal pressure i.
This is not a serious condition, and it usually heals by itself in the first twelve to eighteen months. For unknown reasons it often takes longer to heal in African American babies. In the unlikely event it doesn't heal by three to five years of age, the hole may need surgery. Don't put tape or a coin on the navel. It will not help the hernia, and it may cause a skin rash. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server.
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Healthy Living. Safety and Prevention. Family Life. Health Issues. Tips and Tools. Our Mission. Find a Pediatrician. Text Size. Page Content. Birth injuries Babies can be injured during birth, especially if labor is long or difficult, or when babies are very large.
Blue baby Babies may have mildly blue or purple hands and feet, which is usually normal. Unusual bowel movements Meconium. Coughing If the baby drinks very fast, she may cough and sputter; but this type of coughing should stop as soon as her feeding routine becomes familiar. Excessive crying All newborns cry, often for no apparent reason.
Forceps marks When forceps are used during delivery, they can leave red marks or even superficial scrapes on a newborn's face and head. Respiratory distress It may take your baby a few hours after birth to form a normal breathing pattern, but then she should have no further difficulties.
Although cord infections are uncommon, you should contact your doctor if you notice any of the following: Foul-smelling yellowish discharge from the cord Red skin around the base of the cord Crying when you touch the cord or the skin next to it Umbilical granuloma.
The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances. Babies unlatch when they're done breastfeeding, but with a bottle, it's harder to tell. Loizides says you may need to wait until their next normal session before feeding more.
Keeping your baby focused can help prevent tummy troubles, Dr. Loizides says. If one burping position doesn't get the air out, try another. Alt says. Taking frequent burping breaks while eating can help digestion. A bit of warmth can ease your baby's upset stomach. Loizides suggests. Let gravity do its thing by feeding at an angle.
If you're breastfeeding, try an upright football or laid-back hold. After your baby eats, don't have them lie down right away. When you're nursing, your baby is getting what you eat—and dairy is a common culprit for a baby upset stomach. But don't eliminate healthy foods unless you're sure they're a problem. Hold the bottle so the milk or formula completely fills the nipple to reduce excess air.
Also, "try switching to a bottle that limits how much air the baby gets, like a Dr. Brown's bottle," Dr. Besides strengthening Baby's head and neck muscles, chilling on their tummy puts pressure on the stomach. New solids can be a bit of a shock to your baby's tummy. Pureed fruits, especially pureed prunes, can help keep things moving.
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