ABSTRACT
The baby's appearance stimulates parenting responses. The soft, rounded face; the fuzzy, fine hair and delicate skin with an incredibly soft feel; the short limbs and relatively long torso; the beautifully molded tiny hands reaching helplessly out—all of these are markers of "babyishness." The initial, bluish, rather mottled appearance of a newborn is due to dependence on the mother's oxygen in the uterus. The presence of a special kind of fetal hemoglobin has made it possible for the fetus to maintain a lower oxygen level. The battered appearance which most babies have after delivery can also arouse a mother's fears that she has damaged her baby in labor and delivery. She needs to hear that the molded head, the bruised, mashed areas are common, that they will heal and are not a sign of damage to the brain. The rapid changes in the initial appearance can be used to reassure parents that their baby's head is resilient and "normal."
