From the halls of hospital floors to their newborn nests in their houses, babies get to experience a myriad of weird and often concerning conditions. As such, starting life from day one is a challenge for newborns and a wholesome but worrying period for parents.
In this article, we will discuss why newborns experience different skin conditions in the first few days of their life and how parents can address them. Don’t let these conditions affect your newborn’s self-discovery to new senses and feel their parents’ love.
Why Newborns Get Sick Early?
Your pediatrician will inform you that newborns will likely get sick in their first few days or weeks. This is because their immune systems are not fully developed and are likely to cause specific reactions from the world. It may exhibit simple rashes or signs of hand fungus or eczema. Either way, your pediatrician should not ignore or monitor such conditions.
So why do these conditions exist in your home and not the hospital? Hospitals are sanitized and cleaned to minimize dust and other pathogens, especially in nursing wards. Remember that newborns are the most sensitive to germs and diseases, and their immune system adjusts rapidly to exhibit skin-related conditions.
To settle your worries, here are a few more skin conditions that will most likely appear in the first few weeks of your newborn’s life.
Baby Eczema
This is a common skin condition that affects infants, and it causes their skin to dry up and become itchy, which increases the risk of further infections. Treatment often includes a newborn ointment to reduce symptoms and thorough sanitation of their beds to minimize infections.
If symptoms persist, consult your local pediatrician, as there are cases where eczema is a lifelong childhood condition. But as it stands now, regular monitoring and treatment are the best courses of action.
Cradle Cap
Also known as neonatal caps, these are localized dandruff spots in a baby’s cradle, hence the name. Fortunately, this is a common condition during their first few months of life and can be removed by gentle watching and baby oil to relieve some of that dryness from the dandruff.
No one knows the cause of this condition yet, so monitor and wash it occasionally. Should it persist or worsen, work with your pediatrician to perform a test on your baby’s scalp and determine a treatment plan.
Diaper Rash
Diaper rashes are skin irritations found within the baby’s genitals or buttocks. It is caused by prolonged exposure to their stool and urine. Also, moisture, sweat, and harsh soaps may contribute to this condition.
Treatment of diaper rashes is simple. One way is to change diapers as soon as your baby defecates or releases urine. Keep their buttocks and genitals dry as much as possible, and apply anti-rash creams to irritated spots once you see them. Avoid perfumed diapers or wipes, and always choose baby-safe products, preferably without scent or alcohol-based ingredients.
Newborn Jaundice
Characterized by yellow spots on a newborn’s eyes and skin, Jaundice commonly appears in babies on their second day of birth. Fortunately, this is common and should be gone after the first 2 weeks. For preventive measures, doctors recommend getting your baby exposed to sunlight once a day for a few minutes to reduce the occurrence of Jaundice.
Birthmarks
Everyone has birthmarks, those black spots that appear randomly in your body. For babies, birthmarks may take the form of pink patches called salmon patches. Just like Jaundice, this is extremely common, and they’ll disappear within the first year. Birthmarks are likely to show up on the face or upper part of your body. However, they may be more prominent in light-skinned newborns.
Aside from salmon patches, you may notice some green to dark blue patches akin to bruises. These are called Mongolian patches, and don’t worry; they are just as common as other conditions, so you don’t have to worry about them. Mongolian patches are found within the buttocks or lower back area of your newborn, and they are prominent to certain races, from Native Americans to Asians, and not so much on caucasian babies.
Birthmarks are harmless and don’t pose anything dangerous aside from being obvious. If birthmarks look unappealing to you, wait a few years; they generally disappear save from small dark spots that may emerge later.
About Skin Care
The good thing about newborns is they don’t need as much skin care as others. All you have to remember is that a good wash and simple baby products go a long way in preventing further infections. Just make sure they are unscented and hypoallergenic.
Takeaway
A newborn’s journey to life is an exciting and fragile one. For one, they are presented with numerous conditions and unpleasantries once they settle in their family beds. Although it can be explained as their bodies adjust to the environment, general care and health monitoring are still necessary to ensure they stay healthy.
The conditions presented above are just the standard conditions, and each experience is unique to every newborn. Nevertheless, with thorough care and love from their parents, they can eventually grow out of this phase or get treated as early as now.
