Your baby will actually lose weight as she starts out in life, but should be back up to birth weight by her 2-week checkup. Thereafter, she may put on 1 pound every 2 weeks, doubling her birth weight by month 4. Premature babies sometimes grow a little slower, but most will eventually catch up.

Reflexes

Your newborn arrives with a variety of natural reflexes or involuntary ways of moving:

• Palmar, or grasping, reflex. When you touch your baby's open hand, she'll make a fist around your finger.

• Rooting reflex. If you stroke her cheek, her head will turn toward your touch. This reflex helps your newborn find her food source.

• Sucking reflex. Once at the breast or bottle, your baby's sucking reflex takes over as she automatically sucks on anything put in her mouth.

• Startle, or moro, reflex. When your baby is startled, he will thrust his arms and legs out and arch his back, then quickly pull arms and legs in again.

• Babinski reflex. Stroking your baby's foot will make him spread his toes and flex his foot in.

• Stepping reflex. If you hold your baby up with your hands under her armpits so that her feet are touching a firm surface, she will lift her feet up and down.

• Tonic neck reflex. When placed on his back, baby turns his head to the right and makes fists with his hands.

• Blinking. The involuntary reflex of closing her eyes when they are exposed to bright light, air, or another stimulus is the one reflex that your baby will keep for the rest of her life.

Birthmarks

Your baby may be born with one or more birthmarks.

• Red marks on the eyelids, forehead, and at the very back of the nape of the neck usually fade and disappear over time and are called salmon patches or stork bites.

• Red, strawberry birthmarks can increase in size but may shrink and be gone by age five.

• Very rarely, light brown birthmarks known as café au lait spots (particularly a large number) are symptomatic of medical conditions. Talk to your child's doctor if you have any concerns.

• Dark blue to blue-green spots on the buttocks or lower back are known as Mongolian spots, which are most common in African American, Native American, and Asian newborns and fade over time.

• For port wine stains, bright red or purple marks that are considered to be more permanent, plastic surgery is an option in later life if they are located in a prominent spot.

• Little whiteheads called milia are common on newborns, especially around the nose, and may come and go during the first few days.

• Petechia are red to purple pinpoints that you may see on your baby's face from the trauma of coming down the birth canal. These will disappear in a few days.

The Umbilical Cord

Baby's umbilical cord stump looks like a dark, dried up protrusion. ou'll be instructed to:

• Clean it regularly, usually with alcohol swabs

• Keep it dry to prevent breakage and bleeding

• Keep an eye open for signs of infection, such as pus or inflammation

Within 2 weeks or so, the stump will fall off and your baby's perfect little belly button will be revealed.