Introduction
You may notice some differences in how your newborn looks compared to other babies you’ve seen. That’s because newborns look quite a bit different than babies who are a few weeks old.
Learn what to expect, how to care for your newborn’s body, and some normal changes you may notice in your newborn. You’ll also learn the signs that tell you your newborn is sick, like sleepiness, jaundice and body temperature.
How your newborn looks
- Skin
- Head and face
- Body
In this Section:
Skin
- Slippery white coating (vernix): Your baby’s skin may be covered with vernix that protected their skin in your uterus. It will be absorbed or is washed off in the first 24–48 hours.
- White spots (milia): Your baby may have milia around their nose that may last a few months. These white spots will go away on their own—don’t try to remove them.
- Fine, downy hair (lanugo): Your baby may have lanugo on their forehead, ears and shoulders. Lanugo usually disappears within 2 months.
- Dry or peeling skin: Your baby’s skin may be dry and peeling, especially on their hands and feet. Talk with your health care provider about using any creams or lotions on your baby’s skin if it’s still dry after a few days.
- Black or blue marks (congenital dermal melanocytosis): You may see these marks on your baby’s body, usually on the lower back or bottom. They look like a bruise, but they’re not. They usually fade in the first or second year of life.
- Reddish areas or stork bites (hemangiomas): You may see these areas on your baby’s forehead, eyelids, nose or the back of their neck. These usually fade and are gone by the time your child is 3 years old.
Head and face
- Soft spots (fontanelles): The anterior soft spot is found on the top of your baby’s head and the posterior fontanelle is at the back of their head. The bones of your baby’s skull have not joined yet, allowing their brain to continue to grow. The soft spots will join together as your baby gets older. Gently touching the soft spots will not harm your baby. The soft spot near the front closes between 6–24 months. The soft spot near the back might be very small and closes between 8–12 weeks.
- Head shape: Few newborns have perfectly shaped heads. It may take up to 6 weeks for your baby’s head to become round.
- Hair: Your baby may have lots of hair or no hair at all. Babies may lose some of their hair soon after birth. Their hair may also change colour.
- Eyes: Your baby’s eyes may be swollen from the birthing process. Their eyes may be sensitive to bright lights in the first few days. This is because your baby is used to being in the dark. It’s common for their eyes to change colour during the first year. Some babies look cross-eyed until about 3 months of age. If this does not go away as your baby grows, talk with your health care provider.
- Nose: Your baby’s nose may be flat or bruised. It will return to its normal shape and the bruising will go away in time.
- Mouth: Your baby’s mouth should be pink and moist.
Body
There are other normal changes you may notice with your baby. These temporary changes are caused by your baby being exposed to your hormones before birth.
- Swollen breasts: Your hormones may cause your new male or female baby to have swollen breasts that sometimes leak a milky discharge. This may last for a couple of weeks.
- Swollen genitals: Your baby (male or female) may have swollen genitals for the first few days.
- Vaginal discharge: Your female baby may have white, pink or red discharge from their vagina during the first week.
How big are full term newborns?
Most newborns weigh between 2500–4000 g (5 lbs 8 oz–8 lbs 13 oz).
Umbilical cord
Your baby's umbilical cord
The umbilical cord joined parent and baby before birth. When your baby is born, the cord is clamped and cut, leaving a clamp and a small amount of cord attached to your baby. Your baby’s umbilical cord will look bluish-white. As the cord dries, its colour will change to a yellowish-brown then a greenish-black. A small amount of oozing or bleeding is normal when the cord starts to fall off.
The cord and clamp usually fall off on their own, about 1–3 weeks after birth. The cord will harden and turn greenish-black as it dries. If the cord is still attached when your baby is 3 weeks old, talk with your health care provider.
How to care for your baby’s umbilical cord
- Keep the area around their cord dry. This will help it stay clean.
- Wash your hands before touching their cord.
- Keep their diaper folded below their cord so that the cord remains dry.
- Clean any discharge around the cord using a cotton-tipped applicator (a cotton swab) dipped in tap water, then dry it well with dry cotton-tipped applicators.
- You can give your baby a full bath before the cord falls off. After the bath, fully dry the cord with a cotton-tipped applicator or the tip of a clean cloth before dressing your baby.
- Cleaning with alcohol is not recommended.
- Do not apply coins, buttons, bandages and binders to the umbilical cord.
Common parent concerns
- Newborn rash
- Cradle cap
- Spitting up
- Sneezing
- Hiccups
In this Section:
New parents are often worried about how babies look and how they act in the first few weeks. Many of these concerns are common for babies. If you’re worried about any of these, call Health Link at 811 or talk with your health care provider.
Newborn rash
Newborn rash is a blotchy, red, pinpoint-size rash found anywhere on your baby’s body. You may see it within 1–2 days after birth. It usually goes away in a few days. It can also come back in the next few weeks. The rash may not look nice, but it’s normal and doesn’t need to be treated.
Newborn rash is not the same as diaper rash or other types of rashes that include other symptoms, like a fever. Learn more about these other types of rashes.
Cradle cap
Cradle cap is thick, waxy or flaky scales on your baby’s scalp. It’s caused by normal changes in their skin. It usually goes away on its own by the time your baby is 1 year old. You can also treat it:
- Gently massage a small amount of baby oil or mineral oil into the scales on your baby’s scalp.
- Leave the oil on for about 1 hour.
- Wash with a mild baby shampoo and rinse well.
- Use a soft brush to gently brush out the scales.
Spitting up
Some babies spit up small amounts of milk right after a feed or between one feed and the next. There’s no need to be concerned if it’s not forceful and if your baby is healthy and gaining weight.
If spitting up doesn’t worry you, you don’t need to make changes. Follow your baby’s hunger and fullness cues, and stop feeding when your baby shows you they are full.
If you want to try to decrease spitting up, you can try to burp your baby during and after the feed. You can also try to carry them in an upright position for 20 minutes after feeding.
Spitting up is not the same as vomiting. Vomiting is forceful and may mean your baby is sick. Vomiting can be very serious in a young baby as they can get dehydrated very quickly.
If you are concerned about spitting up or your baby has other symptoms, call Health Link at 811 or talk with your health care provider.
Sneezing
Babies sneeze to help clear their nostrils. This is common in the first few months and it can happen several times a day. It does not mean your baby has a cold. If your baby has a plugged nose that seems to make it harder for them to breathe or feed:
- Put 1–2 drops of saline nose drops into each of your baby’s nostrils. This makes the mucus thinner and easier to sneeze out. You can buy saline nose drops or you can make your own.
- Use a cool mist humidifier to add extra humidity to your home. Avoid direct contact with the humidifier’s warm mist around children, as they can cause burns.
If using a humidifier, clean and disinfect it regularly. Using an unclean humidifier can lead to breathing problems, illnesses or allergies. Follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions carefully. Empty the water from the humidifier reservoir when you’re not using it and clean it before you re-fill and use it again.
If you’d like to use a bulb-shaped nasal aspirator, talk with your health care provider to make sure you use it correctly, and know how often it should be used.
Recipe for saline nose drops
Saline drops can be safe to use if they are prepared and stored correctly:
- Add 2.5 ml (½ tsp) of table salt to 250 ml (1 cup) of water that has been boiled and cooled.
- Store in a clean container that has a lid.
- Throw it out after 24 hours.
Hiccups
Hiccups are very common and will not harm your baby. Sometimes they’ll stop if your baby is cuddled, changes position or starts to suck on their fist, a soother, or when feeding.
Things to watch for in newborns
- Sleepy newborn
- Jaundice
- Body temperature
In this Section:
While most newborn babies are healthy, babies can get sick, and when they do, it can happen quite quickly. Unfortunately, they cannot tell you when they don’t feel well, so you’ll need to watch your baby for signs that tell you they’re sick.
Sleepy newborn
Some newborns are sleepier than others. A baby may be sleepy because of:
- a hard labour and birth
- medicine you’re taking, if breastfeeding
- long periods of crying
- not getting enough breastmilk or infant formula
- too much light and noise (over stimulation)
- illness such as an infection
- jaundice or other health reasons
Here are some ways to wake up your baby to feed:
- Let your baby sleep un-swaddled in their crib so they can wake up more easily.
- Unwrap or undress your baby or change their diaper.
- Do skin-to-skin cuddling.
- Hold your baby upright while supporting their neck and head, make eye contact, and talk to them.
- Gently stroke or massage your baby’s body. Move their arms and legs, stroke their cheek, rub their back or circle their lips with your clean finger.
- Put a few drops of expressed breastmilk or formula onto their lips.
- If your baby falls asleep when feeding from the bottle after only a few minutes, they may feel stressed from feeding too quickly. Try to use paced feeding to help your baby have a safe and enjoyable feed.
- If you are breastfeeding, learn more about sleepy newborns and what you can do to wake your baby up to feed.
Call 911 NOW if your newborn has any of the following:
- is breathing slowly or has stopped breathing
- is having trouble breathing or is wheezing
- has blue or grey skin
- is limp or not moving
Call Health Link at 811 or your health care provider NOW if you’re having trouble waking up your baby or your baby is too sleepy to feed.
Jaundice
After birth, babies have more red blood cells than they need. As these cells break down, they release a substance called bilirubin. Your baby gets rid of bilirubin in the first few days through their bowel movements. If bilirubin builds up in their body, it causes jaundice. If your baby has jaundice you’ll notice the whites of their eyes and skin look yellowish.
There are different types of jaundice. The most common type happens 2−3 days after birth, and sometimes it needs to be treated. If the jaundice needs to be treated, your baby may need to be in a hospital for a few days under special lights (phototherapy). Putting your baby in the sun is not recommended. Sunlight is not strong enough to help with jaundice, and your baby could get a sunburn or become too hot.
At low levels, jaundice will not harm your baby. In rare cases, very high levels can cause brain damage. Babies with jaundice can become sleepier and may not feed well. To help reduce jaundice:
- Feed your baby often and for as long as they want to.
- If they are not waking on their own to feed, your health care provider may recommend waking your baby to feed at least every 3 hours, while they are jaundiced. In the first few weeks, babies should feed at least 8 times in 24 hours.
- Make sure they have a good latch when breastfeeding.
- Keep track of your baby’s wet and dirty diapers and their weight gain.
Your health care provider will assess your baby’s jaundice level. They may use a jaundice meter to tell how much bilirubin is in your baby’s body. The jaundice meter is placed on your baby’s forehead and uses a flash of light. Testing with the meter only takes a couple of seconds and does not hurt your baby. Some babies may also need a blood test to test their level of bilirubin.
A second type of jaundice can happen when your blood type is different from your baby’s blood type. If this happens, your baby can become jaundiced in the first 24 hours of life.
A third and less common type of jaundice is caused by liver disease. It causes the urine to become dark brown and the stools to become white, light grey or very light yellow.
To learn more about newborn jaundice, visit MyHealth.Alberta.ca – Jaundice in Newborns (Hyperbilirubinemia).
Call Health Link at 811 or your health care provider NOW if your baby has any of the following:
- has yellow skin and whites of the eyes in the first 24 hours
- gets more yellow and it’s spreading to their feet and hands
- is not feeding well, is very sleepy or does not wake up enough to feed well
- does not have the recommended number of wet and dirty diapers in 24 hours
- has dark brown urine and white, light grey or very light yellow stool
Body temperature
Your baby needs help to keep their body temperature stable for the first couple of months. Their body is not able to cool down if they get hot, nor warm up if they get cold.
A normal underarm body temperature is 36.5–37.5 °C (97.8–99.5 °F). Learn how to take your baby’s temperature.
Take your baby’s temperature if they:
- feel cool to the touch
- feel warm to the touch
- look red and warm (flushed)
- are fussier than usual
- are not eating well
- are sleeping less or more than usual
- have diarrhea or vomiting
- look or act sick
If your baby’s temperature is normal and they seem well, but feel cool to the touch, dress them enough to keep them warm, but not hot. You can also put a hat on your baby while you warm them up. If they still feel cool to the touch, remove all of their clothing except their diaper and cuddle them skin-to-skin, use a blanket to cover their back and put a hat on their head. Skin-to-skin cuddling helps your baby regulate their body temperature.
If your baby’s temperature is normal and they seem well, but feel warm to the touch, take off some layers of clothing or blanket. If they still feel warm, cuddle them skin-to-skin in only a diaper and no hat, and use a light-weight blanket to cover their back.
Call Health Link at 811 or your health care provider NOW if your has any of the following:
- is very sleepy, weak or unusually irritable
- has dark, cloudy, or red urine
- has a rash and fever
- has many loose stools (diarrhea)
- has a cough that’s getting worse or is not going away
- has red, irritated eyes that seem sensitive to light
- is vomiting
- seems to be in pain (e.g., cries more than usual, screams, rolls their head or rubs their ears)
- is twitching or shaking
- is sick and seems to be getting worse
- is showing signs of being dehydrated (e.g., fewer wet diapers, dry mouth)
Go to the Emergency Department NOW if your baby is under 3 months and has an underarm temperature that is lower than 36.5 °C (97.8 °F) or higher than 37.5 °C (99.5 °F).
Call 911 NOW if your baby has any of the following:
- blue, grey or pale skin
- noisy breathing