5 Things to Know About Newborns

Touching the Soft Spots on Baby's Head

Despite cautions to the contrary, you shouldn?t be stressed if you happen to have touched these areas of Baby?s head. When you touch your baby's soft spots, known as the fontanels, you're not touching his brain. So what are you touching? A thick, very protective membrane. The soft spots exist so your baby can safely negotiate the narrow birth canal. Since his skull is flexible, your little one's downy head has already survived a pretty rough ride with no harm done.

Seeing Baby's Pulse in His Fontanels

What you're seeing are the normal workings of your baby's circulatory system. Because the fontanels cover areas of the skull that have not yet fused together, they're soft, making veins and arteries visible.

Blood in Your Newborn Girl's Diaper

During pregnancy, a surge in maternal estrogen levels can stimulate a female fetus's uterus. Within the first week of life, it's not uncommon for baby girls to have a mini period in which the uterus sheds a little blood.

A Small Hollow in Baby's Chest

Relax -- this isn't a heart problem. According to experts, the breastbone is made up of three parts. The indentation you see is likely the bottom piece, angling backward. As your baby grows, her chest and belly muscles will pull it straight. Even before then, layers of baby fat will cover up this very normal bit of newborn anatomy.

Soft, Squishy Poops After Every Feeding

Breastfed babies may poop after each feeding because breast milk is so quickly digested. (Formula-fed babies may have less-frequent bowel movements.) As for as the squishy issue is concerned, most newborn poops are soft simply because babies are on an all-liquid diet.