
Take your baby in your arms and hold him as soon as possible after birth so that you can start to bond. Your baby will begin to learn about you and how much you love him as he hears your voice, smells and feels your skin, and is cuddled and nursed by you.
You’re likely to feel many new emotions when you see your newborn baby’s tiny, vulnerable body and realize his complete dependence on you. The way you react and what you do in these first moments are probably the most important interactions there’ll ever be between you and your child.
Research shows that parents who can cuddle and be with their babies immediately after delivery tend to be more sympathetic to their children’s needs later. Parents whose babies are taken away at birth may feel alienated for a while, but if this does happen to you, don’t worry-just start bonding with your baby as soon as you’re able to.
What Your Baby Will Look Like
Newborn babies vary greatly in weight and length. Average weights for a baby are generally 5 lb 8 oz to 9 lb 12 oz (2.5-4.5 kilograms), and average lengths are about 19-20 inches (48-51 centimeters).
Head - Your newborn baby’s head will be one-quarter of his length and it’ll look large compared with the rest of his body. The younger the baby, the larger his head is in proportion to his body. On average a newborn baby’s head measures about 14 in ( 35 cm) around. His head will be measured after birth, and this is an important check because the growth of his head is linked to the development of his brain.
A newborn baby’s head usually looks pointed because it’s been molded as it came through the birth canal. Molding is caused by the skull bones overriding each other. Sometimes this pressure also leaves one or both sides of the baby’s head slightly swollen. This swelling doesn’t affect your baby’s brain and it goes down within a few weeks.
If your baby was delivered by forceps he may have some slight bruising. You’ll feel a soft spot on the top, called a fontanelle, where the skull bones haven’t yet joined together, and won’t do so until your baby is 18 months old.
Skin - Some babies are born completely covered in a greasy, white substance called vernix caseosa. Others only have vernix on their face and hands. Vernix makes it easier for your baby to slide through the birth canal and helps protect him against minor skin infections. In some hospitals the vernix is cleaned off right away, but others prefer to let it to rub off the skin naturally, which happens within two or three days.
Your baby’s circulation takes a little while to settle down. While this is happening, the top half of his body may look paler than the bottom half, but this is nothing to worry about.
Your baby may have some downy hair on his body. This is called lanugo hair and it covered his body while he was in your womb. Some babies only have lanugo hair on their head, but others may have hair on their shoulders. Both are normal, and the hair usually rubs off within a couple of weeks.
More permanent hair will appear later. Some babies are born with a full head of hair but others are completely bald. If your baby is born with hair, it might not be the color he eventually ends up with.
Hands and feet - These may have a slightly more bluish look than
the rest of his body because his circulation hasn’t gotten going. He may have dry patches with peeling skin, which will disappear
in a few days. His fingernails may be long and sharp; gently nibble off the tips if he’s scratching himself, but don’t cut his nails.
Eyes - Your newborn baby’s eyes may be pufty because of pressure on his head during the birth, and he may not be able to open them at first. This pressure may also have broken some tiny blood vessels in the eyes, causing harmless small, red, triangular marks in the whites. These dont’t need any treatment and will disappear within a couple of weeks. your baby may also have “stricky eye”, which is a yellow discharge around the eyelids. Sticky eye is quite common, and although it’s not serious, it’s best to take your baby to the doctor.
Your baby can see clearly to a distance of 8 in (20 cm) or so, but he cannot focus both eyes at the same time beyond that, so he may squint or look cross-eyed. Both problems should gradually clear up as his eye muscles grow stronger (usually within a month). Check with your doctor if your baby still squints at three months. If he doesn’t seem to want to open his eyes at first, don’t try to force them open. Instead, try holding his head above your head so that he opens his eyes naturally. All babies have blue eyes when they’re born. Their adult eye color may not develop until about six months.
Umbilicus - Your baby’s umbilical cord will be clamped with forceps and then cut with scissors. A short length of cord is left; it dries up and becomes almost black within two to four hours after the birth. The cord doesn’t come away from the navel until about ten days after the birth. Some babies have umbilical hernias (small swellings near the navel), but these usually clear up within a year. If the hernia goes on longer than this or gets bigger, check with your doctor.
Breasts - Pregnancy hormones may cause both boy and girl babies to have slightly enlarged breasts and leak a little milk. This is normal, and will stop in a couple of days.
Your Baby’s Care
Before you leave the hospital, your baby will be thoroughly examined by a pediatrician to make sure that everything’s going well and there are no problems. Your doctor or midwife will also want to check that your baby is feeding well and that his stools are normal. He’ll be given a blood test, usually by means of a tiny heel prick, to check for phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare metabolic disease, and for thyroid gland underactivity.