Why newborns look so funny

Few newborns look like beauty contest winners, which isn't surprising when you consider what they've been through. But is it really normal for their heads to be so pointy and their genitals so swollen? Here's the top-to-toe scoop on why newborns look so, well, strange.

Head
If you gave birth vaginally, you may take a look at your baby's head and think, "No wonder!" It's big compared to the rest of your baby's body!

Your baby's head may also look a little misshapen or kind of pointy. This is called molding, and it happens as babies squeeze through the birth canal. Your baby's head should return to its original shape in about a week.

C-section babies don't come through the birth canal, so they have an edge in the looks department. Their heads come out nice and round because they don't get squeezed.

The soft spots on your baby's head, called fontanels, are diamond-shaped openings in the skull covered by a thick layer of skin. These openings — one in front and one in back — allowed the bones of your baby's skull to compress during his trip through the birth canal, and now they'll allow for the quick growth of his brain.

The rear fontanel will take about four months to close. The front one will take between nine and 18 months.

Arms and legs
After spending so much time curled up in the tight space of your uterus, your baby needs time to adjust to his new freedom and stretch out a bit. His arms and legs will uncurl within a week or two. When he does begin to stretch out, he'll probably appear a bit bowlegged.

Some babies find swaddling — being wrapped snugly in a blanket — to be comforting because it mimics the tighter quarters of the womb.

Belly
Your baby might lose a little weight in his first week, but he should regain it during the second week and continue to put on the ounces and pounds at a fast clip in the following months, quickly filling out his belly.

After ten to 14 days, your baby's umbilical cord stump will fall off, leaving an adorable little belly button.

Genitals
Your newborn's genitals and breasts (whether you have a boy or a girl) may be swollen from the extra dose of hormones just before birth. A little milky substance may leak from your baby's nipples as well. Girls may also have a little white discharge or blood-tinged vaginal mucus. All of this will go away in the first few weeks.

Skin
Newborn skin varies in appearance according to how far along your baby is at birth. Premature babies have thin, almost transparent skin that may be covered with a fine, downy hair called lanugo. You'll also see vernix, a cheesy white substance that protects a baby's delicate skin from the amniotic fluid. The farther along your pregnancy is when you deliver, the less lanugo and vernix your baby will have.

Babies of all races and ethnicities are born with reddish-purple skin that changes to pinkish-red within a day or so. The pink tint comes from the red blood vessels that are visible through your baby's still-thin skin. Because your baby's blood circulation is still maturing, his hands and feet may be bluish for a few days. Over the next six months, your baby's skin will develop its permanent color.

If your baby's skin takes on a yellowish tinge in the first few days of life, he may have a slight case of jaundice. More than half of healthy newborns show signs of jaundice, which happens as the body breaks down extra red blood cells.

Jaundice usually goes away within a week for full-term babies, but often hangs around slightly longer in preemies. It's usually nothing to worry about, but you should mention it to your healthcare provider.

About 30 to 40 percent of all babies are born with milia, small white or yellow dots on their face that look like tiny pimples. They usually disappear within three or four weeks without any special treatment.

If your baby has small pus-filled bumps that leave dark brown marks when they burst, it's probably pustular melanosis, a newborn rash more common in African American babies. There's no need to treat this condition. The marks will disappear by the time your baby is 3 or 4 months old.

Acne isn't unusual in new babies, either. About a fifth of newborns have a case of acne during their first month. Newborn acne is most likely to show up on the forehead and cheeks. It should disappear on its own within a few months.

Birthmarks — including Mongolian spots, angel kisses, and stork bites — are also common. They come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colors and can show up anywhere on a baby's body. Certain types of birthmarks may not appear for several days or weeks after birth.

Most birthmarks are harmless. Many go away on their own in the first few years of life, although some are permanent.

Hair
Be prepared for some surprises when it comes to your baby's hair. Dark-haired Caucasian couples have been thrown for a loop by children born with bright red or blond hair, and fair-haired couples have been presented with Elvis Presley look-alikes. And then there are the parents who wonder what color that peach fuzz is, exactly.

That said, newborn hair doesn't tend to have much bearing on what your child's hair will eventually look like. Even if your baby was born with a full head of hair, he may begin to lose some or all of it in the first few weeks or months.

Don't worry — the hair will come back, although it may not look the same when it does. Babies born carrot tops can turn into blonds, raven-haired newborns can sprout fair tresses, and blonds often turn into brunettes.

Hair texture frequently changes in the first six months, too. You may find coarser, tighter ringlets growing in place of your baby's loose, fine curls, for example.

Eyes
Most Caucasian babies, though certainly not all, are born with dark gray-blue eyes that can take months — even years — to reveal their permanent color. Many African American, Asian, and Hispanic babies are born with dark gray-brown eyes that don't change color significantly, but some may start out with hazel eyes that get darker as they approach 6 months.

Most often, the eye color you see at 6 to 9 months will be the one that sticks around.

Ears
Your baby's ears may be soft and floppy, and one of the edges may be bent over a bit. As the cartilage in your baby's ears becomes harder, his ears will become more defined.

Nose
Your baby's nose may look swollen from the pressure on it during delivery. It may also be a little flattened or even off-kilter. (He'll look less like a prizefighter in just a few days.)