What to Expect: The Surprising Visual Differences of a Newborn

You may think you know what babies look like, but unless you have spent time with a newborn before (babies under 3 months of age) the likelihood you will be shocked is quite high when your bundle of joy arrives.

There are so many things that the television babies and mainstream media/ life just don’t prepare you for.  but that’s ok because this postpartum professional is about to spill the beans. However, do know that every baby is different there is no possible way that I could touch on every single thing that might surprise you. What I can do is share some of my experience and what I have come across working frequently with newborns and their parents.

Many newborns DON’T look like the babies on TV

( who are often older than a newborn) :

·       Newborns can be quite hairy! ( and I don’t mean head hair): Many newborns are covered in lots of fine, soft downy hair called “lanugo” when they are born. Some babies shed this hair while in the womb but it’s not uncommon for some or a lot of it to still cover your baby upon birth. Don’t worry about it though, much of it will come off on its own

·       A newborn skin can be bumpy and scaly!: Although soft, delicate, and beautiful to the touch, your newborn skin may not be what you expect. Apart from being born covered in a white, waxy substance (called vernix caseosa), a newborn’s soft skin might not be the colour you expect ( like being born white and wrinkled in places much like yours might go if you spent too long in the bath). Over the first few weeks, it is also common for newborns to experience ‘erythema toxicum’ or ‘milk pimples’. This appears as red, raised bumps on the baby's skin. It is harmless and usually disappears on its own within a few days. Many people know about cradle cap, a condition that causes flaky, yellowish scales to form on the baby's scalp, eyebrows, and hairline. Some newborns also experience dry, peeling skin, especially on their hands and feet. This is usually not a cause for concern and will resolve on its own as the baby's skin begins to adjust to the outside world after being in a ‘9-month long bath’.

·       Newborns are ‘squishy’, (But don’t worry, this adds to their adorable-ness!): Many newborns, especially full-term ones, have not only been busy laying down extra fat stores in the last couple weeks of womb life but can have some excess fluid retention (especially if the mother was on a drip during labor), the swelling, usually in their extremities, will usually resolve on its own within a few days to a week as the baby's body begins to regulate its fluid balance and their kidneys begin to mature more. (Side note, I totally freaked out when my firstborn vomited clear-ish fluid during her first night several times, but the nurses were kind and reassured me this wasn’t uncommon and it was just her body getting rid of the excess fluid it had taken on. I had been on a fluid drip for hours during my labour and it was suspected that she received some of this also.)

·       Their face and head might not be what you expect: Yes some babies are born looking like beautiful little angels that instantly conform to society’s beauty standards. But many newborns have features that they might need to ‘grow’ into. Newborn babies have very large heads in proportion to their little bodies, and often their foreheads may appear ‘prominent’. They often have small, pointed chins and can have a nose that just doesn’t seem to match them yet.  Some babies have heads that are in a weird shape because of the way they were lodged in the pelvis in the weeks or hours leading up to birth, and that can impact the way their faces look. I have met twins, identical by DNA, who, because of the way they sat in the womb, had different heads and faces. How fascinating!

However it is that your baby ends up looking life, I am sure you will be besotted with them. It's important to remember that every baby is unique and may look slightly different from another. It is not uncommon for newborn babies to have features that some people consider "ugly," but these features are usually temporary and will change as the baby grows and develops. All newborn babies are beautiful and deserve love and care.

If you want to learn more about newborns, their unique needs, and how to prepare yourself to adequately care for your bundle of joy, sign up for our FREE newsletter. As a welcome gift, you will receive a therapist’s “top tips for preparing for your postpartum period”. It has loads of unique, in-depth information, not found anywhere else, best rest assured these top tips will truly set you on the right path.