Is that blood in my baby’s diaper? What’s wrong with my newborn?

Having a baby is certainly a roller coaster full of surprises. But sometimes there are really big surprises that can be very strange and concerning as a new parent of a newborn baby.

But the truth is that newborn babies go through some really weird and gross things in their first few months of life and we as parents are there to witness it.

So every soon to be parent knows that there’s going to be a lot of dirty diapers, crying, and some sleepless nights, but what about those little things that happen in the newborn stage that no one talks about. How do you know what’s normal and what is a true concern for your newborn baby?

Here are some really weird things that happen when your baby is a newborn that is completely normal.

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1. Color Changing Poop

I know it sounds completely crazy but it’s true. Your baby’s poop will change a few different colors while they are in the newborn stage.

So first off, when your baby has their first poop, it will usually be a sticky dark black color. This is due to the fact that your baby’s first poop which is called meconium is made up of what your baby ate in utero. And after the first few days of life, a newborn baby’s poop becomes more watery and lighter in color.

Now depending on whether your baby is breastfed or formula-fed, their poop can look a little different.

Breastfed newborn poop is usually yellow, watery and seedy looking. Whereas formula-fed newborn’s poop is usually a thicker and darker green color.

2. Cradle Cap

Is your newborn baby’s head covered in dry flakes? Don’t worry. That dry flaky skin on the top of your baby’s scalp is very common. It’s called cradle cap.

And thankfully it will clear up on its own within a few months. Until then there are some really great home remedies to help your baby’s cradle cap improve.

3. Baby Acne

Acne. It happens to the best of us. But you may be wondering why your newborn is breaking out like a hormonal teenager.

Well, that’s the answer – hormones. Hormones from the mother’s body were also around your baby and can cause a few different odd things such as baby acne. It will clear up on its own, but here are some great solutions for helping to clear up your baby’s skin naturally.

4. Body Hair

Why is my newborn baby’s body covered in hair?

This is a super common newborn thing. While in the uterus babies will begin to develop little hairs all around their bodies to protect their skin and keeping their body temperature warm while in the uterus. It’s called lanugo.

However, some babies still have some of this hair after birth. But don’t worry it will all shed off very soon.

5. Excessive Sneezing

Why is my baby sneezing all of the time?

Try to remember that your newborn baby is just now getting to experience all of the new scents and things that they can smell for the first time. And because of everything being so new, newborn babies often sneeze since their nasal passages are so sensitive.

6. Jerky Movements

Newborn babies often flail a ton and most of this is due to their underdeveloped motor skills. Getting control of their arms and limbs takes a few months or more for. Until then rest assured.

7. Tearless Crying

My baby is crying but there are no tears.

It may be odd to see your baby crying but no tears are coming out of their eyes. This is because babies don’t develop their tears until their around one-month-old.

8. Blood in Diaper

There’s blood in my baby’s diaper – what’s wrong?

Okay, I admit seeing blood in your baby’s diaper is super scary at first. And when my daughter was a newborn this happened to us. But it is normal.

Baby girls often experience this side effect from being exposed to mom’s hormones in the womb. Her hormones should turn to normal soon.

9. Scratches

That moment when you see a scratch or cut on your poor little newborn’s face and wonder how they got there. Well, your baby is the culprit.

It’s really a common thing that happens with newborns. They have very limited control of their arms and legs at first and sometimes grab their faces and scratch them. Many new parents will keep mittens on their newborn’s hands to prevent this from happening.

10. Baby Breast Buds

Why does my baby have breasts?

Once again hormones are to blame. During pregnancy, the mother’s body is gearing up to produce breast milk so her breasts may become tender and swollen. In the same way, your baby is exposed to this hormone and may have swollen breasts as well. But as the hormone leaves their system this goes away.

11. Crossed Eyes

Is my baby cross-eyed?

As a newborn, your baby is still trying to figure everything out and their sight is definitely one of those things. But many times their eyes will straighten themselves out.

There are also cases where their eyes may look crossed but really are not due to the way their nose and rest of their face is shaped.

12. Constant Hunger

I just fed my newborn baby and they are hungry again?

This is one thing that is going to happen with a newborn baby. Especially for breastfeeding moms. In the beginning, your newborn will nurse often and that is what helps to build up your breast milk supply to keep up with your baby’s needs.

As long as your baby is gaining weight and having enough wet and dirty diapers, feed on.

MORE FEEDING POSTS –

13. Diaper Blowouts

Blowout diapers are a very normal thing when your baby is a newborn since their poops are often very watery like diarrhea. And sometimes the diapers just can’t keep it all in.

14. Swollen Genitals

Why is my baby swollen down there?

Again I say – Hormones! They really do affect your baby just as much as mom. These hormones can cause some swelling to baby boy’s testicles and also to a baby girl’s labia. This usually goes away within a few days after birth.

15. Baby Boys and Erections

Okay, new parents. Don’t freak out when this happens to you and it will if you have a newborn baby boy. They will get erections. But don’t worry it’s not something that they can control.

It often takes place when they have to pee or when they wake from napping.

16. Groaning and Grunting Sounds

Did you think that your newborn would sleep soundly and very quietly? Think again. Newborns actually make a ton of weird sounds whether they are awake or asleep.

Whether it’s grunting and groaning when they are pooping or cooing sounds when they are trying to communicate with you, babies are very noisy.

17. Easily Startled

Newborn babies are very easy to startle and scare even when you are trying your best not to. Just about any loud noise or sudden movement can cause them to fling their arms out and back in quickly.

This is called the Moro Reflex. But it will get better as your baby becomes more acquainted with their surroundings.

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So there are 17 strange but completely normal things that newborns do. What were some shocking things that your newborn baby did?

1 Comment

Trevor on at 2:06 pm
I’ve seen a lot of these with my son, who just turned one. Some of them I had heard in advance through wives tales and such, but many were strange and unexpected. This is a great article and I plan on keeping it handy if we have another. One thing I noticed that I didn’t see here was that he smiled when he had gas when he was a newborn (before he could smile when he was happy). A lot of sweet photos I have of him smiling he was just gassing up the room!

17 Strange But Totally Normal Things Newborn Babies Do