Few new born babies are conventionally pretty, and even though every thing is perfectly normal, your baby's appearance may make you slightly apprehensive, so you'll find it hard to resist going over him with a fine toothed comb, just to make sure.

What your Baby Looks Like

The size of a new Born baby varies enormously a perfectly normal birth weight could be any thing from 5½ lb to 10 lb (2.5 to 4.5 kg). But even a 9-11-lb (4-5-kg) baby will seem tiny and vulnerable when new born. Your baby may look slightly battered and bruised after the birth, and his head may be rather elongated because of molding in the birth canal, but it will return to a normal rounded shape in a week or so. There may be the odd bruise here and there on his head, especially if your birth was assisted, or there may be a small scar if a fetal monitor was attached to his scalp. Until he has his first bath, his hair may be a bit matted with dried blood and fluid from the birth.

A New Born's Reflexes

A new born has a set of built in reflexes that help him to survive. They disappear with in a few weeks as he develops.

Grasp

He grasps any thing put in to his fist; the reflex is so strong that he can take his own weight. The reflex is lost in a couple of weeks.

Step

If his feet touch a firm surface, he will take a step this has nothing to do with real walking.

Moro response

If startled, he throws out his arms and legs in a star shape to stop him self from falling.

Rooting

If you stroke his cheek, he automatically turns his head ( roots ) to find the nipple.

New Born Baby Check

Your baby is given a top to toe check before you leave hospital.

Vision and hearing

The doctor will shine a light into your baby's eyes and will note if they move on hearing her voice.

Heart and lungs

She'll listen to your baby's heart and check his lungs and breathing.

Ability to suck

She'll put her finger into his mouth to check that he can suck properly.

Internal organs

She'll gently feel his abdomen and check his anus.

Spine

She'll feel his spine to make sure the vertebrae are in place.

Hip manipulation

She'll remove his diaper and check his legs and hips for any sign of congenital hip dislocation.

The Guthrie test

On about the sixth day, a tiny drop of blood will be taken from his heel to test for thyroid function and for phenylketonuria, a rare disorder that may cause mental retardation if undetected.