When my baby was born, I had no idea what to expect with a newborn. Although I asked my doctor a lot of questions, these related to the actual birth of my child–not what came after.
Although the books tell you what to expect with a newborn, it’s easy to gloss over the textbook of information. You can miss the juicy tidbits that will help you on your journey of living with a newborn.
With that, I wanted to give you a few things I learned along the way. There are some very strange newborn habits that I WISH I would have known about.
Just a quick FYI–know that it’s TOTALLY reasonable to worry a lot. Even if you THINK you know what to expect with a newborn, there will be plenty of surprises.
Normal newborn breathing patterns were definitely alien to me.
Newborns do something called periodic breathing. According to Stanfords Children’s Health, it’s totally normal for your newborn to breathe fast several times, then pause.
This pause should not last longer than ten seconds at a time. What you can expect bringing home your newborn is some erratic breathing at times.
The following list includes signs that could indicate difficulty breathing.
- Flared nostrils
This can be a sign that your baby is working too hard to try and push oxygen through their nostrils
- Grunting
Some grunting is normal, but this can also be a sign of your baby working to breathe
- Rapid Breathing
Hot weather or crying can definitely be a factor in rapid breathing. If your baby continues to breathe hard even after calming down, you should take them in.
- Coughing
A little coughing can be okay, but you need to address persistent coughing or choking.
- Blue Color
The bluish discoloration of skin is a sign of cyanosis, which results from poor circulation or inadequate blood oxygenation. Cyanosis is definitely an emergency – regardless of what the cause is.
What to watch out for
DON’T WAIT if you think your baby is struggling to breathe. It only takes a few minutes of oxygen deprivation before severe brain damage can occur.
Related: Normal Newborn Breathing
CRADLE CAP
Although it may look kind of gross, those thick white or yellow scales on your newborn baby’s head are usually normal. This is definitely a pretty normal thing to expect with a newborn.
According to Kids Health, it is not contagious or an indicator of poor health. Researchers don’t know the exact cause of it either. We know that an allergy or bacterial infection do not cause cradle cap.
There is some thought that it may have to do with overproduction of skin oil in the oil glands and hair follicles.
There are a couple of things you can do to combat cradle cap.
Brush your baby’s scalp with a special brush or try hydrating the scalp with oils to help fight the dryness.
I will be honest…I have a strange fixation with peeling the dry skin off of my baby’s head.
This is one of those things that a lot of us do (or at least I hope!), but we definitely don’t like to talk about it.
What to watch out for
You may end up needing to see your doctor for cradle cap. It’s always safer to give your doc a call, but here are some cases where you need to pick up the phone.
- If you have tried home treatments and they aren’t working
- If you see signs of infection (draining fluid, feels warm, or skin becomes red and inflamed)
- If your baby has cradle cap in areas that they don’t have hair
- If the rash seems to get worse or spread to other parts of the body
- If it’s your first time treating cradle cap
- If the rash seems to get worse or spread to other parts of the body
- If your baby has a weakened immune system
- If your baby has trouble gaining weight
BABY BREAST BUDS
I never experienced this with either of MY babies, but I definitely have friends that have! It’s a strange thing when you see a baby with more breast tissue than your baby’s daddy, but it can happen.
Related: How to Survive the First Week with Baby
According to Dr. Greene, a burst of your hormones (estrogen and androgens) are passed to your baby right before birth. These can have many side effects INCLUDING infant breast buds.
Infant breast buds are real and mature breast tissue. Some babies will even leak milk from their breasts.Don’t worry mom; they will gradually disappear over the next couple of months.
Just don’t squeeze or poke them, as this can irritate them (plus it’s kind of rude!)
What to watch out for
Related: Newborn Hacks
NEWBORN POOP COLORS
Want to know what to expect with a newborn? Odd poop colors. You will find that it will change consistency and color pretty frequently over the next six months to a year.
Meconium
Meconium is the term for your baby’s first stools (which usually appear within 36 hours of birth). It’s a dark green or greenish black tar-like sticky substance that is difficult to clean off your baby’s bum.
Luckily, these only stick around for a short time.
Breastfed and Formula Fed Babies
Breastfed baby poop is usually pretty runny and seedy. In contrast, formula baby poop is typically more solid.
You can experience a range of colors with either formula or breastfed babies.
Orange, mustard yellow, green or brown are all pretty standard colors to see. You will think it’s gross now, but wait until your little one is eating solid food–it gets a bit ickier.
Don’t worry, eventually, they will potty train, and you won’t have to clean poopy butts any longer.
What to watch out for
PULSING SOFT SPOT
Trust me, seeing your baby’s pulse moving at the top of their heads is definitely a little freaky. I did not notice this happen with my first daughter, but it was quite evident with my second.
This is normal, and is just the blood pulsing through their little head.
Despite not having a bony layer, these soft spots are well protected from day to day handling (per the American Academy of Pediatrics). The pulsing will stop when the skull bones fuse, which happens at around seven to 19 months of age.
Long time to wait, I know.
What to watch out for
If it appears that your baby’s fontanel is sunken, definitely get your littles checked. This could be an indication of something like dehydration.
Call your doctor immediately if your baby has a bulging fontanel paired with irritability, lethargy, fever, or appetite changes. These can be symptoms of meningitis (but don’t freak out – I am not a doctor!)
SWOLLEN GENITALS
When we brought our sweet baby girl home, we had concerns because her genitals were so…well…big.
Don’t worry mom, this is normal.
A few things cause this swelling. First, your newborn carries extra hormones from YOU (see breast buds above). Second, newborns carry excess fluid, which causes the face and genitals to swell.
Lastly, the trauma your baby went through from the birthing experience can add to the swelling.
If you have a baby boy, swollen testes (most commonly Hydrocele) is also NORMAL and caused by an excess of fluid.
Remember, your littles will lose up to 10% of their birth weight in the first 5-7 days–this is mainly water weight!! Don’t worry; the swelling is normal, temporary, and harmless.
What to watch out for
Mention the genital swelling to your doctor when you go in for your next visit. If the swelling continues beyond a few months, point it out to your pediatrician.
There is a multitude of conditions to consider, from harmless to more serious.
BONES
Your newborn baby has almost one hundred more bones than adults do. This is because your baby has many bones that have not yet fused.
Fun fact–the reason that the cranium has three unfused plates is so your baby’s head can fit through the birth canal!
What to watch out for
JUMPY MOVEMENTS
If you have ever startled a sleeping baby, you have probably seen the “the sky is falling” kind of action from them.
It’s called the Moro reflex, and it’s present for most babies until they are between three and six months of age. They feel like they are legitimately falling.
With that, they startle awake, wave their arms, and will often start crying.
This is rough for parents, (at least it was for us) because this would sometimes happen when we REALLY needed her to sleep.
We suddenly had an upset and entirely awake baby, and we had to restart the sleep routine.
Related: Tips & Tricks to Get Baby Sleeping Through the Night
For us, we found that swaddling our baby was a huge help – in fact, it pretty much eliminated the Moro reflex. After trying multiple brands of swaddles, we found we really liked this one.
We bought one for each of our babies and it did the VERY BEST job at keeping them appropriately swaddled.
What to watch out for
Although the Moro reflex is annoying, it means your baby is on the right track in their development. You will see the Moro reflex disappear as your baby grows and they have more control over their movement.
If you DON’T see the Moro reflex, or if it continues past the six-month mark you need to talk to your doctor.
This could be a sign of a neurological problem.
ODD HEAD SHAPES
Babies can have a variety of odd head shapes because of their extremely malleable little skull. If you are wondering what to expect with a newborn, a strange head shape is at the top of the list for many parents.
These head shapes are usually harmless and more annoying than anything else.
Conehead
Well, neither of my babies came out with a conehead (but even if they did I probably wouldn’t remember!) I had a friend who asked for a hat for her baby though, so it’s definitely something that is a little freaky for SOME moms.
Coming out of a birthing canal is tough work. Since your baby’s bones are NOT fused, their skull is pretty malleable and can adapt to the shape of the birth canal for a smoother exit.
It will return to normal shape with a couple of weeks.
Flat Head
This is called plagiocephaly–which means “flat head”. The most common type develops from the positioning of your baby’s head.
Soft, gentle pressure from laying in one position for too long can cause your baby’s skull to have an asymmetrical shape. Although this condition is USUALLY temporary, it’s definitely not ideal.
You can try to prevent this by changing up your baby’s positions (I know – it’s a lot easier to say than to do).
What to watch out for
Call the doctor if you notice that your baby’s skull doesn’t appear to be perfectly round and symmetrical, or if they start to develop flat spots. Your doctor will keep an eye on it, and if necessary, you may need to consider a baby helmet.
Again – it’s temporary and does not harm your baby! They will just look a little silly for a while.
BLOOD IN DIAPER
Opening up your precious baby’s diaper and seeing little streaks of blood is enough to upset anyone. Although there MAY be a cause for concern, it is USUALLY due to something normal.
Because of this, I definitely recommend checking with your doctor but don’t freak out yet. There are a couple of common culprits…If you have an infant girl, the rapid decrease of estrogen after birth can cause her to go through a “mini-period”.
Once those hormones even out your little one will be back to normal and period-less. At least for a decade or so.
If you have a circumcised baby boy, the blood can be from his healing wound.
Also, unusually large bowel movements may cause a cut or scratch on your baby’s delicate skin. If this is the case, you shouldn’t see blood at the next diaper change.
What to watch out for
IRREGULAR POOP HABITS
We talked about the fun colors of poop, but if you want to know what to expect with a newborn, we need to talk about the habits too. For the first four to six weeks, breast and formula babies alike will poop after every feeding.
After the six week mark (or maybe even a little earlier) you will find these poop habits may change.
Breastfed Babies
Breastfed babies tend not to poop as often as formula-fed babies. It’s common for a breastfed baby to go 1 to 3 days without pooping, and sometimes up to seven days.
Formula Fed Babies
Formula fed babies usually have poop that is more firm and darker than a breastfed baby’s poop. Your baby will most likely poop at least once a day, and you shouldn’t see them go more than two days.
What to watch out for
Constipation is a worry for many parents (at least it was for me!) Keep in mind, there is usually something you can do to mitigate any issues you are having.
Breastfed Babies
If your baby’s belly seems firm, or your baby appears uncomfortable, it’s worth getting them checked out. Keep in mind that it is VERY rare for a breastfed baby to experience constipation.
A food allergy is not usually a reason for constipation. Be aware although your baby CAN suffer a food allergy to what you are eating, this is very rare.
Formula Fed Babies
Formula fed babies are more prone to having poop issues. Their poop is generally darker and firmer than breastfed baby poop. They usually poop at least once a day.
If your littles goes more than two days without producing a bowel movement, constipation may be the culprit.
Another indication of constipation is a log or pellet-shaped poop. Address this with your doctor, as this may mean you need to try another type of baby formula.
Both of my babies had to be switched over to formula after six-ish months. Our first daughter had no issue, but we had a hell of a time trying to find a good formula for my second child.
She is ten months as of this writing and still struggles with constipation problems. It’s tough mom, but doable.
BABY SKIN
You know how people are always commenting on how smooth a baby’s bottom is, or how soft their skin is? It’s not true with newborns.
Your newborn’s skin is shocked by the sudden change in environment, and so they tend to experience a few skin issues in the first couple of weeks.
Peeling fingers and toes, rashes, acne, and cradle cap are all normal skin conditions for your baby.
Luckily, they will usually resolve on their own, but it may make you second guess your photo shoot appointment. You can grab a soft-bristled brush to try and speed up the skin flaking.
Some sources recommend moisturizing, but it’s hard to say whether this is actually effective.
What to watch out for
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