Weird but normal on newborns
Before the baby comes out, you are sure you are fully-equipped on matters about parenting-from the labor, to childbirth up to the hassles and sleeplessness once the baby comes into the real world. But when you finally come to your senses after delivery and you see your precious little one, you also start to notice stuff that you do not expect to see or encounter. And as days go by, it seems more and more weird things are coming to your baby. So, before you start freaking out and call for rescue, here are some of the unusual but yes, very normal happenings in your little one that you may be seeing now, or in more days to come.
- FLAKY SCALP
You keep on noticing those white dandruff-like stuff in your baby's scalp and you keep on wondering what is that, or maybe you chose the wrong baby shampoo for him. This may look gross, but yes, this is so normal. Despite the unknown sources of this flakes, these will just last for certain months. To lessen it, pediatricians recommend rubbing baby oil on his patches and scrape those flakes off with fine-toothed baby comb gently.
- BABY BOOBS
If you think that your baby's breasts look quite bigger, then you are right. But this is also usual, since their breast tissues develop from being exposed to your own hormones during the nine months he stayed on your belly. Once those hormones start to wear off, those slight breast enlargement will also disappear.
IT IS UNUSUAL WHEN: there is any redness around his breast. If it is present, consider taking his temperature to ensure if this is not associated with fever, as this may be an indication of some worse problems on your newborn.
- CONSTANT SNEEZING
There are many factors why baby keeps on sneezing, but not always an indication that he is sick. Generally speaking, since newborns are still not that used to the outside world, they are super sensitive to their environment, and their immune systems are still adjusting to the changes. It can be also be that a foreign particles is going to his nasal passages, and sneezing is the natural way to remove it. Exposure to light can also be the reason for the sneeze. Another reason is that he gets rid of any amniotic fluid or extra mucus from entering his respiratory airways.
IT IS UNUSUAL WHEN: the sneezing is accompanied by wheezing. Seek medical advice to ensure if there are no allergies or diseases present in the baby.
- JERKY MOVEMENTS
Especially while sleeping, babies just suddenly startle and have quick, unusual movements, like the reflexes when falling. Again, this is natural and part of newborn's adaptation to his environment and dealing with developmental changes. This reflexes, also called startle or Moro reflex, will start to settle down in three to four months. Swaddling is the best to do to avoid him disrupting from his sleep because of this sudden movements.
IT IS UNUSUAL WHEN: You do not notice any jerky movements, as this may be a sign that there is something not right to your baby.
- CROSSED EYES
As the baby starts to adapt to his new world, one of the things that he is trying to work out is his sense of sight. On this part, it will take sometime before he can manage to control his eye muscles. But sometimes, just as you thought that his eyes are crossed, it never is! Since the baby's nose bridge is quite broader, extra skin on the nose can fold some of the baby's white parts of his eyes. And this optical illusion is called pseudoesotropia.
IT IS UNUSUAL WHEN: being cross-eyed still manifests up to the sixth month of the baby, that is the time you must seek consultation. It can be that if baby's eyes are chronically wandering off in two different directions, he may have strabismus; and if there’s just one eye going rogue, it may be amblyopia, or lazy eye.
It is normal for us parents to become worried about the not-so-ordinary things we can see in our babies. But we must keep in our mind that as newborns, they have to cross different and various changes in every aspect of their beings so that they can be able to live in our environment in a healthier, better perspective way.