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The "small problems" of newborns
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 08.07.2025
Skin problems in newborns
Limited spots on the skin are quite common and always worry parents. Most of them are completely harmless.
Milia - small cream-colored papules on the nose and sometimes on the roof of the mouth (Ebstein's "pearls") are sebaceous gland cysts; they disappear on their own.
Toxic erythema (urticaria neonatorum). These are red spots, often with a central white vesicle. They are also harmless. The lifespan of each such spot is no more than 24 hours (try to circle one of them), this is how they differ from septic erythematous spots, which develop into purulent pustules. If you have any doubts, take a scraping from such a spot for microbiological examination.
Miliaria (heat rash) - This is an itchy red rash that quickly fades once you unwrap your baby.
"Stork beak marks". These are areas of dilated capillaries on the eyelids, the central part of the forehead and the back of the neck, i.e. in those places where the newborn was "held by the stork's beak when it was brought"! When pressed, these areas turn pale, and over time, all this goes away.
Harlequin-type skin discoloration in newborns - one side of the face or body suddenly turns red for a few minutes. This is usually a short-term vasomotor incident.
Flaky skin. This phenomenon usually occurs in newborns with a late birth date, it usually does not lead to any dermatological problems. Lubricating these areas with olive oil protects the skin folds from cracking.
Petechial hemorrhages, facial cyanosis, subconjunctival hemorrhages. These are transient phenomena, they are usually associated with the passage of the newborn's head through the mother's birth canal.
Swelling of the mammary glands. This occurs in newborns of both sexes and is sometimes accompanied by the secretion of so-called witch's milk. This is due to the influence of maternal hormones on the newborn's body. This phenomenon goes away on its own, but if an infection occurs, antibiotics need to be used.
Problems with the navel of newborns
The umbilical cord stump usually dries up and separates from the moist base by day 7. Signs of infection include an unpleasant odor, pus, redness in the periumbilical area, and the baby becoming lethargic. The baby should be isolated, a swab from the navel should be taken for culture, and a blood culture should be done. The newborn should be given antibiotics.
Granuloma - the presence of urachus should be excluded; cauterize the granuloma with a lapis "pencil".
Sticky eye
This is a fairly common condition caused by a duct that has not opened. A culture should be done to rule out ophthalmia neonatorum.
[ Various problems that arise when feeding a newborn
A full-term healthy newborn requires very little nutrition in the first few days. Therefore, do not worry if he does not latch on well during these days, and do not offer him a bottle of milk. Incidentally, newborns trapped in the rubble of an earthquake for 4 days survived perfectly well. In the first days, newborns may have difficulty feeding due to the lack of coordination of sucking and breathing movements: they choke slightly, they have a gagging movement, they sometimes become cyanotic. Rule out any disease, recheck the breastfeeding technique (too much milk? Too fast?) and try to calm down. Regurgitation (spitting up) is usually associated with the rapid overflow of the small capacity of the newborn's stomach with milk and air. Recheck the feeding technique. If the baby is receiving milk from a bottle, it may be that the nipple is too large for the baby's mouth, or the hole in the nipple, on the contrary, is too small, or there is simply too much milk? Swaddling your baby before feeding may help, but it is not very good for his health.
Reddish spots on the diaper
Most often, this is associated with urates found in the urine, but it can also be the release of blood from the vagina or genital cord (the rudiment of the oviduct), which is caused by the cessation of the flow of maternal estrogens into the baby's blood.
Sneeze
Newborns usually sneeze to clear amniotic fluid from their nose.