A Guide To Your New Family's First Weeks - Meriter Health Services

Head
The bones of your baby’s head are not fully fused
together. For this reason, there are two fontanels, or
soft spots, on the head. Pressure on the skull during
labor and delivery or the use of forceps or a vacuum
may change the appearance of your baby’s head. This
can be either from movement of skull bones or from
swelling. Such swelling is temporary and goes down
shortly after birth; skull bones will eventually “round
out” to their normal state.
You may see marks on the face and/or head if
forceps or vacuum extraction were used to ease your
baby through the birth canal. These may appear as
bruises or lumpiness in the fat tissue. These marks
usually heal on their own, without specific treatment,
unless the skin is broken through.
Genitalia
Babies often have swollen genitalia (scrotum or labia)
at birth; this usually lasts a day. Girls often have a
clear to white or pink discharge within the first few
weeks after birth. This is a normal response to the
mother’s hormones.
Chest
Maternal hormones that cross over to your baby
before birth may result in swollen breast tissue in
both boys and girls. The swelling will disappear on
its own.
Eyes
Eyes may appear puffy at birth, but this swelling
will subside in a few days. Eyes are often blue at
birth. True eye color may not become apparent
until six to twelve months of age.
Reflexes
Healthy babies are born with several normal reflexes
including:
Startle Reflex
Newborns stiffen and thrust out both arms and
legs when they hear a loud noise or feel they are in
danger of losing their balance.
Rooting Reflex
When you stroke a newborn’s cheek, she will
instinctively turn in the direction of the stroke. This
reflex helps your baby find food. If you put your
baby to your breast, she will instinctively turn her
head toward the nipple and try to latch on and suck.
Gag Reflex
If babies have extra mucous from the birth process,
they automatically gag to work it out of their throat
and mouth. Additionally, if babies take too much
milk at once, they will gag and possibly spit up. It is
normal for newborns to do this in the first days of
life. Most babies can handle getting rid of this extra
mucous themselves; but there is a bulb syringe
available in the crib. Your nurse will assist you with
the use of the bulb syringe.
Newborn Hypoglycemia
(Low Blood Sugar)
In the first few hours of life, some newborns need
to have their blood sugar levels checked. A small
prick to the heel allows us to test a single drop of
your baby’s blood. Most newborns do not require
any blood sugar monitoring or support. If your baby
has low blood sugar, the nurse will either encourage
feeding your baby or contact your baby’s doctor for
further planning. In an otherwise healthy infant, low
blood sugar is easily correctable.
Newborn Medications
As part of the Birthing Center’s newborn admission,
every infant routinely receives vitamin K and
Erythromycin Eye Ointment. If you have questions
about either, after reading the following descriptions
about each medication and the reason we use it, talk
to your health care provider.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K helps blood to clot properly, and infants
are not born with enough vitamin K in their bodies.
If infants do not receive a vitamin K supplement,
they are at risk for a severe bleeding disorder. This
can cause bleeding in an infant’s mouth, nose,
stomach, intestines, skin or brain. Severe illness or
death can sometimes occur. For this reason, the
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that
all newborns receive vitamin K.
11