All About The Facial Appearance Of A Newborn Child

There could be certain changes in the appearance face, nose, eyes, ears and mouth in a newborn that occur due to the trauma experienced in passing through the birth canal. 

A few pointers regarding facial appearance of a baby on birth:

• A newborn’s face could look puffy after the rough trip through the birth canal and fluid accumulation; this would change after a few days of delivery when the trauma is eased and the baby gets rid of the excess fluid.  You may also notice some distortions like a folded ear, flattened nose or a crooked jaw; these distortions would become normal with time. 

• Since the newborn has not developed the thick cartilage that gives firm shape to his/her ears, it is quite common to find him/her with   temporarily folded or otherwise misshaped ears; this distortion could be caused by his/her position in the uterus. It is also common to find small tags of skin or shallow holes in the skin just in front of the ears; it is easy to remove these skin tags, but do consult your doctor. 

• Most newborns open their eyes a few minutes after birth and look around at the environment; you would however find that they are not able to focus well and their eyes may seem to be crossed at times. It takes about 2 to 3 months for the newborn to focus more correctly. Also the puffiness of the infant’s eyelids at birth makes it difficult for him/her to open the eyes widely; this is facilitated by holding him/her upright.  

• Do not be startled if the white part of one or both eyes turns blood red; known as subconjunctival hemorrhage, this harmless condition occurs due to the trauma experienced at delivery and would go away in a few days. 

• All newborns maintain their color of eyes at birth; it is only found that the pigmentation of the iris progressively darkens and reaches its permanent color by the age of 3 to 6 months.

• Understand that most newborns breathe through their nose; it is quite possible that he/she breathes noisily due to the nasal passage being narrow and small amount of nasal fluid or mucus causing an obstruction. Also sneezing is quite common in newborns; this is a normal reflex and does not indicate any allergies or infection. It is best to consult your doctor about using of saltwater nose drops or bulb syringe to clear the nasal passage.

• Do not be alarmed if you notice small white spots on the roof of the newborn’s mouth when he/she yawns or cries; known as Epstein's pearls and present with fluid-filled cysts in the gums, they will disappear within the first few weeks.

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