All Articles >>

FIVE SURPRISING THINGS ABOUT NEWBORNS

By: Pamela Parker   |   July 22, 2021

Becoming a new parent often brings an explosion of joy but it can simultaneously be a terrifying experience to be responsible for a tiny life. No matter how many hospital tours you attend or books you studied while pregnant, there is just so much to learn and know. 

I remember staying up all night in the early days watching my newborn breathe (and making sure he kept doing that) through the night and at other times frantically texting my mom friends when situations like bright green poop turned up in a diaper. Never a dull moment when you have a newborn!

Here is a list of my five favorite things to share from my experience:

1. Sometimes infants stop breathing. This was definitely a surprise for me but sometimes infants hold their breath. This usually happens whenever they cry or are excited and while they sleep. Although this goes on for just 5-10 seconds (it’s supposed to be totally normal in that range), it sent me in a panic more than once for sure.
   
   
2. Babies are born with the ability to swim. During one of our first-ever visits to the wade pool, my infant son was cruising along the edge and lost his footing, his head fully submerged in the water for about 2 seconds. I fished him out as quickly as I could and to my relief and confusion, he didn’t sputter or cough. Turns out he was holding his breath underwater! Your newborn is born with an aquatic instinct. You can observe this if you take your baby to the pool or the bath as they hold their breath and splash the water with their little arms and legs. 
   
   
3. Their days are nights. When babies are in the womb, they fall asleep during the day when you’re most active—when you are moving and walking, the motion rocks them to sleep. In the 8th and 9th month of my pregnancy, my baby liked to “party” at night, often keeping me up all night. This continues for a while after they are born. Babies take time to grow accustomed to a circadian rhythm. Although they sleep a lot, they wake a lot too. A sleeping pattern usually develops after they turn six months old. Hang in there. 
   
   
4. Their eye color can change. My son was born with grey eyes that almost looked blue. Now they are brown. That’s because the color of their eyes comes from melanin secreted in their irises. This largely depends on many factors such as genetics and environmental factors like sunlight exposure. Baby’s true eye color becomes apparent after 6 to 12 months of age. 
   
   
5. Green poop is usually harmless. The first diaper, a greenish black poop that’s tar-like, is meconium and is normal. After that it turns mustardy, green, yellow or brown. In fact, most earth tones are okay. What might warrant a check up is chalky white or red poop which could indicate improper digestion or specks of blood. 
   
   And finally, bright green poop, although a visually alarming sight, could often be attributed to something you ate. A big meal of green vegetables or food with green coloring can result in party-colored baby stool. It could also signal an imbalance in a mother's foremilk and hindmilk but usually again, nothing to worry about. In some cases it can be a sensitivity to something in momma's diet and in rarer cases a sign of maybe a cold. If a baby has started on solids, it can change poop color as well.
   
   

---

More from this issue:
FOR KIDS TO CARE ABOUT CHORES, TEACH THEM TO BE “FAMILY CITIZENS”  Read >>
REMEMBERING HOW TO HAVE SMALL TALK  Read >>
MOM HACKS: GLITTER JARS & MORE  Read >>
HOW TO EASE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS  Read >>
LISTEN TO THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD  Read >>
JULY’S BOOK PICKS: BIG FEELINGS  Read >>

 

---