My daughter, Colleen, was my third child—and my first daughter. Her beauty, as rumpled as it was at birth, took my breath away. She was an answer to prayer—and an angel sent from God. But I still held her with hesitation. She seemed so fragile and a bit “unfinished.” Your daughter, too, may not look quite like the baby you’ve been dreaming of. Instead, she’ll look like an infant who has left a watery womb and been squished through a rather small vaginal opening. Don’t be surprised or upset if your daughter has any of the following less-than-attractive features, all of which are temporary: ■ The cheesy substance that coats a baby’s skin to protect it from the amniotic fluid (called vernix caseosa) may still be covering parts of her body. ■ After a vaginal birth, the head may appear elongated, almost cone-shaped, because it was compressed coming through the birth canal. This will round out within two weeks. ■ Fine, downy hair (called lanugo) may cover the shoulders, back, forehead, and temples. This will usually be gone by the end of the first week. It will last longer on a premature infant. ■ Swollen genitals are common. Due to maternal hormones, your baby girl’s breasts may also be enlarged. This will disappear in a week to ten days.Puffy eyes are usually caused by the eye drops given to infants immediately after birth to prevent infection. Despite all these less-than-lovely features, there’s no doubt your daughter will look absolutely beautiful to you and your partner. After all the time and work you’ve put into bringing her into the world, you can see how truly miraculous this tiny human being really is.
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