What will my newborn baby look like?

Q: I’m due in April and I’m wondering what my newborn baby will look like? I've heard that newborn babies are not as pretty as their parents expect them to be.
— Submitted by Liza in New Hope
A:Craig L. Bissinger, M.D.
Newborns certainly have a different look than your “Gerber® baby,” but that’s not to say they don’t look amazing to their parents.

Babies are as varied in their birth appearance as you or I. They will have matted hair, just as if you got out of a swimming pool. They might even have a cheesy film coating their skin. This is known as vernix. Sometimes their head has a cone shape as the result of the pressure of coming through the pelvic bones. Their lips and nose may remind you of a prize-fighter who had a bad day too. In the end, you will see right through these mumentary cosmetic peculiarities and see the world’s most beautiful baby—YOURS.

Your baby’s birth appearance will change quickly. By the time you leave the hospital, your baby will look even magnificent.