| Most textbooks tell us that infants must breathe | | | | weeks |
| through their noses. Therefore, doctors and | | | | In addition, infants often develop white dots with |
| parents pay a lot of attention to clearing the | | | | red bases all over their faces. This is known as |
| nostrils of excess mucus and debris. Seldom does | | | | newborn acne. If your child has a widespread |
| mucus completely block the nostrils, however, and | | | | rash, your doctor may tell you that he or she has |
| it's been found that infants adapt quickly to mouth | | | | erythema toxicum neonatorum. Again, this is a |
| breathing, so parents need not worry too much | | | | harmless rash of the newborn period. |
| about clearing the nose. | | | | Infants ordinarily keep their fists clenched. You |
| Babies also have protective reflexes that enable | | | | may notice that your baby has long fingernails. An |
| them to turn away from potentially suffocating | | | | infant's fingernails are generally soft but can |
| situations. In putting infants down to sleep, it is | | | | scratch his or her soft skin. If the fingernails look |
| important to lay them on their sides or backs, and | | | | long or scratch marks seem to be appearing on |
| not on a soft pillow, to reduce the risk of | | | | the infant or on you when you hold your baby |
| suffocation or SIDS | | | | close, you may cut the nails. Almost any |
| Also, newborns sneeze a lot. This is not an | | | | nail-clipping instrument will do as long as you are |
| indication of a respiratory infection or an allergy; it | | | | careful. |
| is just a normal reflex. | | | | The umbilical cord is of frequent concern to |
| Often parents will notice little white spots on the | | | | parents. This cord consists of a gelatinous white |
| roof of an infant's mouth, directly in the midline. | | | | material through which run 2 arteries and 1 vein. |
| These are known as Epstein's pearls and are | | | | The cord will dry up in about one week. During |
| normal in newborns. | | | | that process there is usually a smell caused by |
| Years ago, many parents worried about their | | | | bacteria on the cord. |
| infants being tongue-tied. Literally, this means that | | | | A little alcohol applied to it will destroy the bacteria |
| the frenulum, the piece of tissue in the bottom of | | | | and hasten the drying process. In 1 to 3 weeks, |
| the tongue that that attaches to the floor of the | | | | the cord will get smaller develop a brownish color, |
| mouth is short. A short frenulum will not interfere | | | | and fall off, often with a slight amount of bleeding. |
| with the child's speech. | | | | If an area of redness develops on the skin |
| However, it will interfere with the child's ability to | | | | surrounding the cord, consult your doctor. |
| stick his or her tongue out as far as other children | | | | Swelling or hernias of the navel are very common |
| can, with the ability to catch M&Ms thrown in | | | | in African American babies, far less common in |
| the air, and occasionally with the ability to lick an | | | | white babies. Almost all of these hernias disappear |
| ice cream cone quickly down to nothing. | | | | by themselves |
| The inability to perform these acts can be | | | | An infant's feet assume many unusual positions. |
| troublesome to a child, so your pediatrician can | | | | It's easy to understand why if you think of the |
| cut the frenulum if you wish. This is a simple | | | | cramped quarters in which they has recently been |
| procedure but it should not be carried out until the | | | | living. Most babies have feet that are turned in, |
| child is much older and actually experiences some | | | | with the soles facing each other. They will assume |
| disabilities. | | | | a more normal position within a few months. |
| The newborn's face is subjected to a considerable | | | | Parents can check the normality of the feet by |
| amount of pressure as it comes through the birth | | | | wiggling them about. It should be possible to |
| canal. This pressure may rupture very tiny blood | | | | wiggle an infant's foot into all the positions that |
| vessels and cause a purple rash known as | | | | your own foot can assume. |
| petechiae. This rash will generally resolve within 2 | | | | |