Showing posts with label vernix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vernix. Show all posts

Friday, April 20, 2012

Wait! Don’t Wash That Newborn!


Posted by Jennifer Azzariti

Do you ever watch a television show where a baby is born and laugh as they hand the new mom a clean, approximately 8-week old baby? Most people are well-aware that babies are born with a slimy mucus-like covering on them. For years, I just assumed it was from being inside the mom’s uterus—leftover amniotic fluid or something that surrounded the baby while in the uterus. Well, it has a name—vernix. And by definition, it’s “a white cheeselike protective material that covers the skin of a fetus.” But, what is it, and why do babies have it?

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