Their eyes
Most newborns have grey or blue eyes. Their color will change during the first year to take their definitive color. The tears only appear around the third or fourth week. Don’t worry if you don’t see them right away, you will see them enough later!
Boy
If your little boy was born at term, his testicles should’ve already moved down into the scrotum and have a purplish color. Your paediatrician will confirm this when he examines Junior.
You will notice that the foreskin (excess skin that covers the tip of the penis) is attached to the gland (the bulb of the penis). Never move this skin or force it to detach. It is not necessary to force its expansion because it could be painful and hurt your child. In more than 90% of the cases, boys will naturally have expanded by the age of three years.
Note that circumcision is not recommended unless your religious beliefs order it or by an extreme concern for hygiene. Circumcision is extremely painful for your baby because it involves cutting some or the entire foreskin.
Girl
It is possible, for a little girl, to have swollen labia minora for the first 2 or 3 days after birth. She can also have a white coating (vernix caseosa) on her labia and vulva. Gently wipe the excess but don’t clean it completely because it serves as an antibacterial protection. You could be very surprised when your daughter has a mini-menstruation caused by the hormonal surplus transferred by her mother after birth. It will only be a few drops of blood and only on the first week. It is normal and it will only happen once.
Birthmarks
Birthmarks are different from one baby to another. These pink or reddish marks are located between the eyes, on the eyelids or on the bottom of the neck. They become whitish when you press them and can get darker when your baby gets angry or when they cry. This type of staining usually disappears during the first years of life.
Blue and cyanotic stains located on the upper buttocks or lower back may disappear or decrease in intensity with time, around the age of 3 or 5 years old. When they are very dark, like strawberry birthmarks, they can be permanent.
Succedaneum bumps are the result of oedema and a visible accumulation of blood under the scalp at birth. The use of forceps or ventouses during labor doesn’t usually lead to brain damage.
Pimples and spots
In the hours following birth, many babies develop little white spots. Usually located on the nose and on the chin, these little spots are caused by the blockage of the sweat glands and slowly disappear over the first few weeks. As for the pimples that don’t seem to disappear and are larger than a pinhead, they come from an accumulation of fat and dirt in the pores. No treatment is required; expect a delay of 1 to 2 months for the pimples to disappear naturally.
