Weird things learned in Newborn Care Class

shelbyram26 · February 2011

Has anyone taken a newborn care class? Ok, most of it is common sense- but here were some weird things I learned (sorry it's a little gross)

Baby girls sometimes have "mini periods" after birth (what?!)
Baby powder is very bad for babies because they can inhale it
Baby wipes are bad for newborns so you need to use cotton and warm water because wipes have chemicals (did NOT know that one)
Formula gets recalled all the time
"Cradle cap" scales (I knew about them but it is still disgusting)

Anyone else know any weird factoids?

thebigmare · February 2011

I knew about all, minus the cradle cap stuff. What are the scales all about?

shelbyram26 · February 2011

So with the cradle cap it's like extreme dandruff, it's a build-up of oils that turn into disgusting flakey scales! they said soak them (the scales) with olive oil for an hour then gently rub off...so gross...

bryanddani2009 · February 2011

I knew about all of that but the wipes thing. I totally don't understand that. I'm wondering if that must just be your instructor's personal preference because the nurses who taught our class said they'll be giving us wipes at the hospital and recommended certain brands. I've never heard of them being "bad" for newborns.

erikaautumn · February 2011

I remember that period thing totally freaked me out when I heard it! Never happened with my daughter though. And don't stress about the wipes... we used the sensitive kind and they were fine... if you have a problem then resort to the cotton method she's talking about.

SpartanGirl · February 2011

I've heard all of this, but wouldn't worry much about the wipes thing. We've never had a problem. I'd try them and switch only if you have issues.

Neither of my girls had the "mini periods."

Cradle cap is gross, but i don't know a baby that didn't have it. It's during the "awkward phase" as I call it. Usually goes hand in hand with baby acne. My kids were always sort of funny looking at that point. LOL! Oh, and we just used some mild dandruff shampoo instead of the oil. It's a lot less messy.

kwitt22 · February 2011

I also read that you can use dandruff shampoo for cradle cap. I also disagree with the wipes thing. I feel like if they were to get diaper rash a cotton ball would be very rough on their little bum. I would just get the sensitive wipes if u are worried.

cfranklin1 · February 2011

My coworker has two baby girls. When her second was born, she wasn't "open" completely, so they had to use some sort of cream and a q-tip for the first few weeks. It's rare, but apparently can happen.

Boys testicles sometimes haven't descended by birth.

Some babies can be born with teeny tiny boobs that are caused by the mother's hormones. They go away.

Some babies develop red patches all over their faces within hours of birth. There's nothing you can do for it...it will eventually go away, but it can resemble a rash.

They can sometimes have umbilical hernias. It just makes their belly buttons look huge, and usually doesn't require any medical intervention unless it's just not going away after a few years.

bre87 · February 2011

our instructor told us that if you massage baby's scalp with the brush and baby shampoo it will prevent/get rid of cradle cap.

i wasn't too weirded out about the stuff we learned but she did scare the hell out of us because she was saying how not to put out big banners that "its a boy" or "it's a girl" because people impersonate nurses and act like they're coming for in-home care and snatch your baby. why would you tell new parents that?! it was already crazy to me that they use the electronic bracelets that look like house arrest monitors to match up mommy and baby and if someone picks up the wrong baby and it doesn't match their bracelet then an alarm goes off. it made me think of The Office episode when Pam breastfed the wrong baby.

shelbyram26 · February 2011

well that's good to hear about the wipes, I thought the sensitive kind would be just fine...I think her reason was that baby's skin soakes up the chemicals...this is a chemical filled world!

SpartanGirl · February 2011

cfranklin1:
My coworker has two baby girls. When her second was born, she wasn't "open" completely, so they had to use some sort of cream and a q-tip for the first few weeks. It's rare, but apparently can happen.

This happened with both of my girls. It is apparently more common with fair skinned girls. Every time we stopped the cream, it sealed back up again. Our pedi told us it was not a concern unless they needed a catheter for some reason - in which case they would cut it open (::shudder::). We opted to just give it time, and it did eventually open on its own.

Weird things learned in Newborn Care Class

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