The umbilical cord

Your baby's umbilical cord will be clamped immediately after birth. The little stump that's left will turn into a belly button in the weeks that follow. First the remaining portion of the umbilical cord shrivels up, turns black and starts to stink. Then it falls off of its own accord. You'll be instructed on how to clean the stump with antiseptic until it detaches on its own. Don't try to take it off early, or your baby's belly button may bleed. Also don't bathe baby until the area and circumcision wounds have healed.

Baby Skin

Your newborn's skin is very tender and delicate. During the long nine months of pregnancy, the skin had a protective waxy covering, called "vernix." Immediately after birth it may still cover her, especially in folds and creases. There's no need to try to clean it off, and, in fact, some delivery room nurses gently massage this natural skin cream into babies skin. If your baby was overdue, her skin may be wrinkled, and the soles of her feet and palms may peel.

Black babies may appear rather pale-skinned at first, and it may take a few months for their skins to change to a more natural color. Babies destined to have dark skin may also have blue marks resembling small bruises on their lower backs that fade away after a while.

Birthmarks

A few varieties of skin marks are more apt to be permanent and can be removed later. Strawberry birthmarks are bright red and raised, and they're usually found on a baby's face or neck. A Port wine stain is a flat, purplish mark which can occur anywhere on a baby's body. If it's on your baby's eyelid, you may want to have a specialist check his eyesight as well. Both of these marks can be permanent.

Your baby's doctor will advise you about marks and whether they are temporary or lasting, and if you'll need to consult a skin specialist later on.

Rashes and Pimples

Tiny white spots that appear across baby's nose or on the face are nothing to be alarmed about. Typically, they show up when your baby's sweat glands begin to function. They're harmless and will disappear on their own. (Don't be tempted to squeeze or pick them).

"Cradle cap" appears as greasy, scaly patches on baby's face or other parts of the body. The bumpy rash looks worse than it really is, and usually disappears on its own without any treatment. Diaper rash comes later. It's a red rash, sometimes with bumps, that appears on your baby's bottom. It's thought to be caused by the chemical effects of urine and bowel movements on a baby's skin.

Although the prospect of changing a baby's messy diapers can be off-putting, you'll get the hang of it very quickly. It won't take too long to get so used to the stuff in the diaper that you won't even notice it. Your newborn can be expected to wet six or seven times a day, but she may go for days without a bowel movement.

The first bowel movement will be a smelly, sticky, greenish substance called meconium. It's your baby's protective inner plug. Once it's out, then normal bowel movements will start during the next week or so. For breastfed babies, a bowel movement is likely to spew out every few days, sometimes with no movements for five days or more. You'll find a custardy yellow, or yellowish green substance without much of an aroma in the diaper. For bottle fed babies, bowel movements are more predictable, and may be more formed, darker, and have a stool-like aroma.

Skin and wind protection

Your new baby shouldn't be exposed to strong, direct sunlight. And even cloudy days can cause sunburn from ultraviolet rays. That's because new skin contains only low levels of pigment, so your baby's skin will only burn, and can't tan. If baby's going to be outdoors, cover him with a protective long-sleeved, shirt, a nightgown, and a small cap or bonnet with a brim. Sunscreen is not advised for babies under six months of age because young babies absorb chemicals directly into their bodies from their skins.

Babies skins are also very sensitive to getting burned by hot water, hot water bottles or heating pads. What might seem to be comfortably warm to an adult, could well cause serious burns to a baby's skin. Turn the thermostat on your home water heater down to 120 degrees F. to prevent accidental scalding of your baby's skin. Always test water before you bathe a baby with your wrist, and never use a mechanical heating device such as a hot water bottle or heating pad on your baby or in the crib.

Newborns react to strong winds with gasping. It's as though they think they're drowning. Stay indoors on extremely windy days, or lightly cover your baby's face with a blanket when you have to go out.