Just Arrived
After developing in a warm dark place for their entire existence, babies get a rude awakening on birth. After having been floating around safe they are suddenly pushed, squeezed and twisted around until they emerge into a world of bright light, cold temperatures and the poking and prodding of a birth examination. It is no wonder they start out screaming!
However much you may be expecting your newborn to look like the cuddly pictures in magazines, the truth will be a bit shockingly different. As well as being possibly covered in blood from the birth, they will usually be covered to varying degrees with amniotic fluid and "vernix", the waxy skin coating that prevents them from being chaffed in the womb.
The skin color may be a bit unusual right after birth. Depending on the length of term and ethnicity, your newborn's skin may have a ruddy appearance or even a greenish or yellow cast to it. This is normal and will fade into the expected hues in a few days or a week.
Depending on the birthing procedure, there may be some slight bruising and it is assured that your baby's head will appear slightly malformed. This too is natural as the bones of the skull are not firmly bonded to allow it to pass through the birth canal. It may take up to a year for the final head shape to solidify so it is of utmost importance to take care and help your child's bones fuse naturally.
Birth is traumatic and requires a great deal of energy on the part of the baby. Taking that first breath requires cleaning the lungs of any flu
id that has drained into them. There is the almost immediate need to find a food source and learn to use it. Not long after entering the world, your newborn will want to cuddle up, safe and warm again and get a good sleep in to refresh itself for the efforts of growing into its entire new life.
