NEWBORN’S APPEARANCE: EYES AND NOSE

Eyes

The eye colour that a baby has at birth usually begins to change at around 6 months of age. Children who are going to have dark eyes tend to change a little earlier than this. Some babies are born with a blocked tear duct (see p. 205). The eyelids can look very puffy after birth, due to a build up in pressure as the baby passes down the birth canal. This tends to clear up within several days. Sometimes part of the white of the eye is reddened due to a little minor bleeding; this will also clear up and is no cause for concern.

If the mother has not been given any painkillers or anaesthetic which will influence the baby’s state of alertness, then from the moment of birth he will be able to fix his gaze on objects and follow them for a short distance. He can turn his eyes to where a sound is coming from, and prefers to look at objects which resemble the human face.

Nose

You may be worried that your baby has come out with a boxer’s nose! It is common for the nose to be flattened during the passage down the birth canal, and this corrects itself after a few days.

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