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Appearance

Newborns are born covered in fluid and a white, cheesy substance. Your baby will most likely be blue or plum in colour at first, with a slightly flattened nose, a cone-shaped head and wrinkly skin. It is normal for your baby to exhibit a few signs of labour and delivery for some time following birth. C-section babies generally do not show these signs as their birth experience is quite different from those delivered vaginally.

Apgar Score

Soon after your baby is born, a nurse or doctor will take him away to examine his features and vital signs in a series of tests called Apgars. Your baby's heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflex response, and colour are each given a score between 0 and 2. The scores are then totalled. Ninety percent of newborns score between 8 and 10 (out of 10) by five minutes old.

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