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Labor & delivery

Appearance

Immediately after birth, your newborn may look wrinkled and red. Their skin often peels after birth because it has been surrounded by fluid in your uterus. You may see a white-yellow coating on the skin -- especially in skin folds such as the armpits, groin and around the neck. This is called vernix. The hands and feet may appear blue or dusky, as their circulation is not as good at getting blood to their extremities yet. Another common skin appearance is milia, which are white spots that look like pimples. Milia are often found on and around the nose. They disappear after a couple of weeks. Your newborn may be covered with downy hair or lanugo on the back, ears and forehead. This serves to protect the skin while growing in the uterus, but it gradually falls out in the weeks following birth.

A newborn’s head will appear larger than the rest of their body. This is normal for newborn development. There are also soft spots on the infant’s head located in the back and on the top. A newborn’s skull is soft to allow it to be flexible and overlap while passing through the birth canal. The head often looks misshapen, even cone-like, immediately after vaginal delivery. With normal growth, protective plates of skull bone will cover the soft spots (fontanels) and the cone-like appearance will subside.

Infant eye color may appear dark blue or brown. For many babies, the eye color will change and often the true eye color is not known for several months following birth.

Hormonal Changes - maternal hormones are passed through the placenta to the baby. Newborns show hormonal signs on their breasts. Both sexes will have swollen breasts after delivery. A male may have swollen scrotum, and a female infant may have a slight bloody vaginal discharge. These symptoms are normal and will go away in a few days.

Male Genitalia: The foreskin is the skin that covers the glans (tip) of the penis. There is an outer and inner layer of foreskin. Foreskin acts as a protective cover to the glans. On a circumcised male, this outer foreskin is cut. In an uncircumcised male, the inner foreskin is fused to the glans. Over the course of years, the inner layer of the foreskin separates from the glans. Routine cleaning of an uncircumcised penis involves gentle cleaning with soap and water. Do not pull back on the foreskin, as it will cause skin separation, bleeding and risk of infection.