Newborn Genitals, Chest and Umbilical Cord

Newborn Genitals and Chest
Very often times the genital lips or scrotum of newborn babies are swollen. The chest of a newborn also seems somewhat enlarged. Maternal hormones that go through the placenta cause these inflammations. There are also times in which the high hormone levels can cause baby girls to secrete a whitish or pinkish discharge from the nipples or vagina. Just the same as other characteristics of newborn babies, these secretions are something normal and will go away, they are nothing to be alarmed about, and they go away within a few weeks.

The Umbilical Cord
The end of the umbilical cord will have a little plastic clamp adhered to it. After the delivery the doctor will close the umbilical cord with the clamp and then cut it. Usually the doctor takes the clamp off before the mother and baby are free to leave the hospital. Afterwards the umbilical cord dries and shrinks very quickly and will look like a dry hard rope. After a few weeks, it usually falls off. Do not try to rip it off though, let if fall off on its own.

You will need to clean the umbilical cord by dipping a cotton ball inside a little bit of water, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to clean the area around the base. There are some pediatricians that think that cleaning it is unnecessary though, that is, unless there is a lot of gue around it.