Newborn Info

Having a newborn baby is both an exciting and anxiety provoking time for many couples. Your life is forever changed in a way no one can explain; it is something you must experience first hand. It is both the hardest job you will ever have and the most rewarding. There simply is nothing like being a parent! Congratulations. We are here to help you during the journey.

Everyone considers themselves an expert on babies and children. After all, if you have had a child you must know the answers, right? Not necessarily. Each child is unique in his or her own way. And each family has its very own set of circumstances that make it different from its neighbor. Take all the “well-meaning” advice in stride, enjoy your baby during this very special time, and trust your instincts!


Head: Molding of the head coming through the birth canal results in the “conehead” shape at birth. Don’t worry, the head shape returns to normal. There are two “soft spots,” one in the front and one in the back. These are tough fibrous coverings that normally close between 9 and 18 months of age.

Eyes: Newborn eyes may be swollen, red, and even have a discharge for a short period of time. All these things resolve in a few days. Some babies, have a red “splotch” on the eyeball; this is a common finding (called a scleral hemorrhage) that is frequent after the birth process and resolves in about 2 weeks. The permanent eye color appears usually by 5 to 6 months of age.

Legs & Feet: Bowing of the legs and in-turning of the feet are common and results from intrauterine positioning. Both resolve over time.

Toenails & Fingernails: The toenails of newborns may curl upward or over the end of the toe. The nails will become firm and straighten later in life. Many newborns have long nails and scratch themselves. We encourage parents to use a soft Emery board to file the nails rather than trying to cut them. The nails are so soft they will file very easily.

Normal Newborn Behavior: The following are things your newborn may do; they are all NORMAL and need no intervention by you: hiccups, sneezing, yawning, trembling of the chin or lower lip, sudden jerk in response to sounds or being moved. These all decrease in frequency over the first two months of life.

Bowel Movements: Many babies during the first few weeks will have bowel movements whenever they eat. These may be very explosive, loud, or watery. Breast-fed babies typically have stools that are “yellow-seedy mustard” in appearance. Stools of formula fed babies tend to be thicker than breast fed babies. Pure water and hard pebble-like bowel movements are abnormal. For the first few months of life, there is no specific number of stools a baby should have each day. The number of stools can range from 8-10 per day to one every 4-5 days. However, if your newborn less than 2 weeks of age is NOT HAVING FREQUENT BOWEL MOVEMENTS, the baby should be checked in the office. In addition, a frequent misconception exists about infants straining to have a bowel movement; it is normal for young infants to strain, turn red, and cry when having a stool. This does not mean anything is wrong; usually it is all normal. If you are concerned, please bring the baby in for a check.

Vomiting: A small amount of spitting up after eating is normal in infants. If this pattern seems to be getting worse with more frequent spitting up, larger amounts of spit up, or more forceful vomiting, the infant should be seen for evaluation.

Umbilical Cord: Your newborn should not be immersed in water until the cord has fallen off and the area healed and dry. This process usually occurs within a few weeks. The umbilical cord will detach sooner if you will swab it with alcohol several times each day. In addition, sometimes it is helpful to use a cotton swab to clear the base of the cord.

Skin: Newborns frequently have peeling skin that is most noticeable on the back of the hands and the tops of the feet. This is perfectly normal; you may use a mild baby lotion if you like, but it will not prevent the peeling.

Jaundice: Jaundice is common and usually a harmless condition in newborn infants. Normal jaundice usually appears on the second or third day of life in healthy, full term infants. It can occur in both breast-fed and formula fed babies. A few babies require a blood test and/or examination by the doctor to determine the cause of jaundice. In most cases, jaundice can be treated at home. Please call for an appointment if you think your baby has jaundice.




Newborn screening varies slightly from one state to another. In Florida, screening is included for many diseases that are otherwise undetectable; you can obtain a complete list of the diseases screened at http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Cms/nbscreen-disorder.html Early treatment of these diseases can prevent life-long complications. If your baby’s Newborn Screen is abnormal, you will be contacted by the State Lab and your baby’s physician.



I recommend not exposing your newborn to people (friends, neighbors, relatives) for the first two months of life. This is especially important in the winter when there is a great deal of illness. The baby’s immature immune system does not fight off infections in the manner of the older child or adult. If your newborn feels warm or acts ill in any way, you need to take a rectal temperature. An infant less than 2 months old who has a rectal temperature of 100.5 ° or greater is a medical emergency and must be evaluated immediately.



Unless specifically instructed by your baby’s physician, all infants should sleep on their back. The incidence of SIDS (crib death) is markedly lower when infants sleep on the back. In addition, mattresses should be firm and no pillows should be in the crib.



Breast Feeding is generally considered the best for the baby, as well as the cheapest, and most convenient way to feed an infant. There are many sources of information on breast feeding. You will get many ideas and recommendations on nursing. Remember, nursing evolves over the first week. It is not until the 4th-5th day AFTER delivery that you can expect to feel good about the breast feeding. There is good information on the web site under the Breastfeeding Heading.

Bottle Feeding is perfectly fine for infant nutrition. Breast feeding, for whatever reason, is not for everyone. I support you in whichever method you choose. A few hints about bottle feeding: A variety of fine formulations are available. These are packaged as powder, liquid, concentrate and Ready To Feed. All are equally nutritious when prepared according to the instructions. Do not prepare more than a day’s worth of formula. Most newborns do not like cold formula; they prefer room temperature or body temperature. When warming a bottle, do not put the bottle in the microwave.