• An elongated, swollen and/or bruised head

Baby’s skull bones are soft at birth to allow his head to pass through the birth canal. A vaginal birth can mould her head into a slight cone shape but this only lasts a few days. Your baby may also have a soft tissue swelling on her head called a caput, which sometimes results from it pressing against the dilating cervix during contractions – or by the suction of a vacuum delivery. It’s a harmless swelling that should disappear in a matter of days, as should any bruising. As your baby grows, be careful to vary your baby’s sleeping positions so that she is not lying on the same spot on her head every time, as this can cause the skull to become flat in that area.

• Fontanelles

Your baby may have a soft, pulsating spot on the top of her head, called the anterior fontanelle. Your baby actually has two fontanelles, which are gaps where the skull bones have not yet fused. They allow her head to grow rapidly in her first year and also act as a cushion to protect her head from injury. Although fontanelles look very vulnerable, they are actually covered by quite tough tissue so you won’t hurt your baby by gently washing and combing the area. Fontanelles usually close by about the age of 2.

• A squashed face

Your baby’s nose may look a little flat and even pushed to the side, and her eyes may look bloodshot and her eyelids puffy. All these are normal and should improve quickly over a day or two. Don’t try to force your baby’s eyes open if she is initially reluctant to open them.

• Vernix and hair

At birth, most babies are covered with blood and mucous along with a protective layer of vernix – a white, greasy layer that keeps the baby’s skin from becoming waterlogged. Many babies have a layer of fine hair over their skin called lanugo, which falls out during the first few months. Your baby may have lots of hair on her head or almost none. Don’t worry if some of it falls out, especially fine, wispy hair. It will soon grow back, and you may see quite a few other changes in hair colour and texture as your baby grows.

• Baby skin

Don’t worry if your baby’s skin breaks out in a variety of rashes and blotches – most of these are hormonal and/or due to your baby’s body adjusting to her new world. These usually disappear within a few days or weeks. Very occasionally a rash can be an early sign of infection that will need treatment, so do always get them checked by your doctor or clinic.

• Dry skin

This is common, especially in babies born a bit late because the vernix will have worn off, leaving the skin unprotected. Dry patches should improve within a few weeks and can be helped with a mild, fragrance-free moisturiser. Peeling skin in the groin of newborns is very common and does not require any treatment.

• Sweating

It is normal for babies to be sweaty as their bodies tend to overcompensate for their new environment.

• Mottled skin and visible veins

Mottled skin is quite normal and is due to immature circulation of the blood. Your baby’s skin is also very thin, making veins very easy to see.

• Cradle cap

Cradle cap is the name given to yellowish crusts that develop on the scalp, eyebrows and behind the ears. The underlying cause is unknown so treatment involves softening the crusts as they form so that they can be painlessly removed. To soften and remove the crust from eyebrows and/or behind ears, massage a little sorbolene and glycerine into the affected area at every nappy change, then rub it gently with a cloth at bath time to remove the softened crust. For a crusty scalp, try massaging a little petroleum jelly or coconut oil into the scalp. Leave it in overnight and wash it out the next day at bath time, removing any crusts soft enough to come away easily.

• Newborn rash

Some babies develop a blotchy, red rash all over their bodies soon after birth. This is caused by your baby’s skin coming into contact with new textures such as clothes, cuddly toys and nappies. It doesn’t worry your baby and will soon disappear without treatment.

• Heat rash

This is found mostly over your baby’s head and neck, or wherever two skin surfaces come in contact. Consisting of tiny red dots that may join up to form red splotches, heat rash is is common in newborns, regardless of the weather, as their bodies are adjusting to life outside the temperature-controlled womb. The rash will soon fade, though heat rash can recur in hot conditions up to the age of about 3 years. It doesn’t itch or cause distress, so don’t panic.

• Hormone rash

Although often called ‘milk rash’, these pimples are unrelated to your baby’s diet. They are thought to arise from the high level of hormones passed from mother to child in labour, which stimulates the sebaceous glands and causes pimples.

• Milia

These small ‘white heads’ are often found on babies’ noses at birth. They are caused by blocked sebaceous glands and usually disappear by four to six weeks. Do not squeeze them.

• Birthmarks and stork marks

Birthmarks are very common and usually harmless, though your doctor may want to check them as your baby grows. Stork marks are red patches that often occur on babies’ eyelids, on the bridge of the nose between the eyes, on the forehead, or below the hairline at the nape of the neck. They are collections of tiny dilated blood vessels and may take up to 1 year to finally disappear.

• Strawberry marks

These are common and are caused by red blood cells escaping from the blood vessels. Appearing in the first six weeks, they are bright red, soft swellings that may grow until the baby is about 9 months old. They then remain unchanged until late in the second year and most fade completely by 3 years old.

• Mongolian spots

Mongolian spots are common on dark or olive skinned babies and appear as bruise-like, flat, bluish grey patches around a baby’s bottom, shoulders, back and arms. They are caused by accumulations of pigment under the skin and are usually present at birth but can appear as late as 3 months old. They fade during the first 3 years.

• Port wine stains

These red or purple marks, usually on the face, head or neck, are rare and do not fade. They can ultimately be treated with laser therapy or surgery.

• Café-au-lait patches

These small, flat, brown or coffee-coloured patches are very common and are usually permanent.

• Eyes

Most babies are born with dark blue eyes because melanin, the body’s natural pigment, is not initially present. Red streaks, which are due to tiny blood vessels bursting under pressure during birth, usually disappear quickly.  Your baby will not initially cry tears – these will only start to appear after a few weeks, and sometimes as late as 9 months.

Many babies look cross-eyed as their eye muscles are still strengthening, but this usually corrects itself by around 6 months of age. A mild ‘droopiness’ of one eyelid is also very common and usually resolves itself in the first year. A condition known as ‘sticky eye’ affects many babies in the first 3 months after birth. This is usually caused by a blockage in the ducts that drain the eye and usually results in a yellow discharge which is worse when the baby wakes after sleep. Use cool, boiled water to bathe the eyes gently, using one clean CHERUBS cottonwool ball for each wipe. Start near the nose and gently wipe out, then dry the eye in the same way. Breast milk is also good for cleaning sticky eyes. If the eye is very swollen and crusty, and bathing is not helping, you may need to apply antibiotic drops or ointment. Note that while these will clear the discharge, they won’t unblock the tear duct, which will unblock on its own by six months if not earlier. ‘Sticky eye’ is not infectious or harmful and is not the same thing as infectious conjunctivitis that older babies and toddlers sometimes get.

• Ears

Your baby’s ears may secrete a lot of wax, which is how the ear cleans itself. Don’t try to remove this – it will roll out on its own. Because the ear tissue is very soft, your baby’s ears might fold forward or look creased. Never try to stick the ears back – it won’t make any difference and will only cause discomfort and irritation. Most ears correct themselves with time.

• Noses

Babies breathe rapidly, unevenly and often noisily. The noise is due to their being unable to clear their noses and throats, and their narrow airways causing mucous and milk to accumulate. Inhaling fluff and dust in the air is another reason babies can sound blocked up and noisy when they breathe (although they can sneeze).

• Mouth

Small ‘sucking blisters’ sometimes develop on the top lip when babies are getting all their nutrition from sucking. They do not cause any discomfort and do not need any treatment. Babies do not make much saliva until they are 8-12 weeks old so they often have milky-looking tongues. White tongue and blisters can often be confused with thrush. Thrush appears as patchy, white spots on the inside of the lips and cheeks and these cannot be removed by wiping.

• Fingernails and toenails

Your baby may have long fingernails but it is best not to cut them for at least the first week as they are very delicate. When you do cut them, wait until your baby is relaxed (or asleep), gently pull away the skin from behind the nail and cut the top off the nail using a pair of small, blunt-ended scissors.  Don’t worry if your baby’s toenails are very short and embedded in the nail bed – they will soon grow up and out. The skin around the nails sometimes becomes red and swollen, in which case you can apply some antiseptic cream. Antibiotics are seldom needed.

• Red, swollen breasts

Whether you have a boy or a girl, your baby’s breasts may appear slightly swollen, sometimes even with a milky white discharge. This is perfectly normal and is caused by pregnancy hormones passing from you to your baby at birth. The swelling and discharge do not cause discomfort and usually disappear quite soon.

• Umbilical cord

After birth the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, leaving a small stump which will dry out within a few hours and become dry and black. The cord falls off by itself within a week or so, but you can help to keep the navel clean by using some surgical spirits on a ball of cotton wool at bath time. Cord infections are rare but watch out for shiny, puffy red skin around the navel and a very strong smell.

• Cracking joints and clicking hips

Clicking or cracking knees and shoulders are quite normal. So is a clicking hip, which is caused by loose ligaments around the joint. The same pregnancy hormones that cause hormone rash and swollen breasts soften the ligaments and make them loose. Clicking hips due to stretched ligaments are temporary and need no treatment.

• Pink urine

A pink-tinted substance called urate is often present babies’ urine and is not blood. This can continue until the kidneys are mature enough to filter it out (sometimes late as three months) and is nothing to worry about.

• Swollen genitals

Babies’ genitals often look swollen as a result of pregnancy hormones and the birth process. Girls may also have a white vaginal discharge and possibly a tiny amount of vaginal bleeding. Both are due to pregnancy hormones and clear as these levels drop. In boys, it is common for the scrotum (the sack around his testicles) to be quite large and swollen. This is known as a hydrocele and usually subsides as the fluid around the testicles is absorbed. Normally there are two testes in the scrotum, which are quite easy to feel. If by the age of 1 you cannot feel one or both of these, you should see your doctor.  For family, religious or health reasons, some parents opt to circumcise their baby boys. This involves surgical removal of the foreskin (which covers the tip of the penis) rapidly and without anaesthetic soon after birth. Your baby should be full-term, healthy, gaining weight and not jaundiced.