Is it Supposed to Look Like That?

Babies are tiny and cute, as you've probably noticed. But you also might notice a few things about your baby's appearance that aren't quite what you expected. Here's a guide to a few of them.

All Curled Up

Babies' arms, legs and fists are quite curled up at birth. After a while they will relax and "open up".

Red marks and rashes

Newborn babies often have various blotches or mild rashes as their skin gets use to the air. These will fade gradually. Some babies have "stork bites, little reddish birthmarks on the eyelid forehead or back of the neck. Most, but not all, go away in about 18 months.

Conehead

Babies' heads often look elongated and pointy at first. This is because the bones that make their skulls are designed to move around a bit so their heads can squeeze through the birth canal. It will round itself out fairly quickly.

Acne

Some babies get a kind of acne on their forehead and cheeks. It is not a problem and it will go away on it's own.

Genitals

It's normal for a boy's scrotum and a girl's labia to be swollen at first.

Nursing blister

Nursing babies often get a little blister in the middle of their top lip. It's normal and may even disappear between feeds.

Urinetown

Baby pee is pretty much like ours, some shade of pale yellow. But here are a couple of other colours you might see in the early days.

Orangey red

Some babies may have one or two orangey-red coloured spots in the diaper when they are one to three days old. The baby is not bleeding. It just means she has passed uric acid crystals. If you keep seeing this past the fourth or fifth day, call for advice. It can be a sign that the baby isn't getting enough milk.

White

It is normal for girls to have a whitish jelly-like discharge from their vagina. This will eventually disappear on its own.

Red

Girls also can bleed a small amount from the vagina in the first few days. This is normal and is caused by mom's hormones. Don't worry about it.

Dark yellow

Dark yellow urine may be a sign of dehydration, which is serious and needs immediate treatment. Other signs of possible early dehydration include:

• baby wets less than six diapers in 24 hours (after the first week)
• baby seems weak and lethargic
• there no tears when baby cries
• baby's mouth seems dry
• the soft spot on his head appears sunken

If you and your partner see these symptoms call the doctor.