Why do babies have a lot of white on their bodies when they are born? Can the baby's vernix caseosa be absorbed by itself?

For mothers who are giving birth for the first time, when they see their babies, they are usually wrinkled, small, and ugly, and there is a layer of white stuff on their bodies. In fact, this layer of white is vernix caseosa, which protects the skin of the fetus soaked in amniotic fluid.

Why is the baby born with so much white on his body?

The white layer on the baby's body is actually vernix caseosa. Unborn babies are soaked in amniotic fluid every day. In order to prevent the baby's skin from being directly irritated by the amniotic fluid, the baby's metabolites in the amniotic fluid will form a protective film on the skin.

Newborns have just come into this strange world and have left the warm and safe environment of amniotic fluid, so they cannot quickly adapt to the low temperature environment outside. Vernix caseosa can effectively slow down the heat dissipation of the fetus, maintain its own body temperature, and prevent infection from external bacteria. Therefore, the existence of "vernix caseosa" makes sense.

Vernix has a protective effect on the baby, but the amount of vernix is ​​affected by the baby's body. If the mother provides enough nutrients to the baby every day before the baby is born, the baby's metabolic products in the amniotic fluid will increase, and the vernix will increase. Vernix is ​​generally found in the back, interscapular area, neck, armpits, pubic region, etc. of newborns.

Can the baby's vernix be absorbed by itself?

Can be absorbed by yourself.

1~2 hours after the baby is born, the body's vernix will absorb part of the fat by itself, and some will be wiped off when the baby puts on clothes. There will also be some on the body. The rest does not need to be washed, let it slowly absorb and fall off naturally. 1~2 days, you will find that the baby's body looks very clean.

Vernix caseosa is the same as the "fetal dirt" on the baby's fontanelle. Wait for it to fall off slowly without intervening. When the "dirty stuff" on the baby's body is completely clean, the mother must take good care of the baby's skin, especially the sweaty areas and buttocks, to avoid redness, diaper rash, eczema, etc.

Why are some newborns born without vernix caseosa?

When the fetus is still in the uterus, the vernix has already formed and covers the surface of the fetus's skin, protecting the fetus from the infiltration of amniotic fluid. After 38 weeks of pregnancy, the vernix on the fetus will gradually begin to peel off, and the peeled vernix will remain in the amniotic fluid.

Therefore, the amount of vernix on a newborn is related to the gestational age at birth. If the fetus is born around 38 weeks, then the vernix will only start to fall off at 38 weeks of pregnancy. Before the fetus is born, there is not much vernix left, so there will be a lot of vernix on the body after birth.

If the fetus is born around the due date, especially if the pregnancy is overdue, the fetus will have very little vernix caseosa after birth, because most of it has already fallen off in the uterus.