PARENTHOOD.IE

You've read a good few books, talked to friends and family, got information at the maternity hospital, but you come home and realise there are a few things no-one ever mentioned. Don't panic

“My baby's poo looks strange”

A breastfed baby’s poo has a light yellow colour similar to mustard and is also kind of grainy in it’s consistency. Bottle fed baby’s on the other hand have slightly more solid and brownish poo. Some baby's poo several times a day, while others only a couple of times a week. As long as your baby is gaining weight, doesn’t seem constipated or cries every time he poos, there is no need to worry.

“My baby sneezes a lot and has the hiccups”

Newborns sneeze often, which is a way to clean out dust and mucus from the airways. It is not an indication that your baby is getting a cold.
There are no real answers to why baby’s often have the hiccups. Theory says that there is a lack of communication between the brain and the diaphragm, which is the muscle that controls the breathing. Hiccups are perfectly normal and not a dangerous for a baby.

“My baby's skin is rough and peeling”

While in the womb the baby’s skin is protected by fat, and babies will have residues of yellow coloured fat on their skin when they are born. Soon after birth the baby’s outer layer of skin starts to peel, which will be particularly noticeably on their hands and feet. You don’t need to oil or put lotions on your baby’s skin, it will stop after about 1-2 weeks. Avoid pulling at the flaky skin, let it shed naturally.

“My baby's breathing sounds strange”

As a new parent you will spend a good bit of your time watching your baby’s breathing, and sometimes worrying. Children do not develop a regular breathing pattern until they are about six weeks old. Before that, a baby’s breathing could be slightly irregular. The breathing could be fast, have small pauses, all this helping the baby to develop her diaphragm muscle, which controls our breathing.

“There is a blister on my baby's lip”

There are babies that are born with a blister on their lip, due to them sucking their thumb in the womb. A blister can also occur during breastfeeding, but in both cases they will disappear naturally and should not be a cause of worry.

“My baby's soft spot pulses”

A perfectly normal occurrence. A baby’s cranial bones do not fully close until he is between 18-24 months old. Veins and arteries are superficial and blood passing will be pulsing. The soft spot is a very good place to see if your baby is dehydrated, as it will be lower than the scull, rather than full and pulsing.

“My baby has a indentation on his chest”

It is not an indication of a heart problem. There are three chest bones, the indentation is caused by a bone at the back of the chest which points downward. As your baby grows the chest and stomach muscles will pull the bone into place and the indention will disappear. It is also likely that the baby fat will cover up the indention before it is corrected by the muscles.

“My baby‘s head has an odd shape”

For practical reasons a baby’s head will usually have a slight cone like shape when  he is born. Because of the gaps in the cranial bones, such as the soft spot, the head can pass more easy and safely during a vaginal birth. The flexibility in the bone structure protects the baby’s head from bone fractures during a vaginal birth.

“My baby girl has blood in her nappy”

Newborns carry a residue of their mother’s hormones, these can cause a period like bleeding in girls. The bleeding can persist for a few days, but will disappear in time.

“My baby boy's genitals look very large”

During a vaginal birth a baby’s body is put under a lot of physical preassure and can cause swollen genitals. The same hormones that can cause bleeding in girls, also cause swelling of the genitals and breasts of both boys and girls. The swelling will disappear a few days after birth.