My newborn baby is very sweet, but – dare I say – so ugly! The woman in the next bed had a caesarean delivery and her baby is so pretty. Do you think that my baby has been permanently injured during birth?

There is a common joke that you will no doubt hear, about newborns looking as though they have been participating in a boxing fight! Delivery is tough on the baby as well as the mother. A bruised baby with squinty eyes and a misshapen head is all too common. No matter how bad the damage looks, remind yourself that it is normal and that your baby is fine. If you need reassurance, then ask the doctor, midwife or nurse, who have seen it so many times before, if everything is ok. They are likely to be amused at the idea that there is any permanent damage, and to be very reassuring that your baby is perfect and beautiful!

In addition to the delivery impact, the newborn does often not have the intrinsic good looks of the baby who is just a few weeks old! Will this baby with a huge head and scrawny legs, with funny fluffy hair (or none at all) and blue veins prominent on the delicate scalp, ever be admired as your neighbours baby is? These newborn features (as well as the fine fur of the premature baby, the wrinkled skin of the overdue baby and the white sticky vernix that covers the skin of many newborns) will be gone so quickly that you will be amazed. During the next few weeks your baby will change before your eyes into a bonny beaming baby with the ability to charm all around!

What very many parents find extremely alarming is the size of the newborn’s genitals. Due to female hormones, this may even include swollen and lactating breasts in girls and a swollen scrotum in boys. These effects too will disappear quickly.

So the message is – get reassurance and once you have it, stop worrying. You have a beautiful, healthy baby and many other important things to think about!