Well this is the second time I scratched my son who is just 25 days old. Feeling terrible. Will these marks stay permenantly?it did not bleed but it has swollen and is red.
Just 3 days back I scratched him near his eye and today while feeding him I scratched his chin.
First of akl thank you all mommas..
He is more than a month old now. All scratches have vanished!!
Trimmed my nails. I had already cut my nails then but I had to cut them little deeper now.
I have stopped wearing dresses with zips while feeding him.
And no more scratches from me. :)
Babies heal remarkably quickly. Especially a scratch to the face. The face is so vascular that a small scratch may bleed a great deal, but it heals amazingly fast. Unless it is very deep or doesn't stop bleeding there is no need to worry! There should be no scars. Wait until he starts crawling/walking!
ETA: I just noticed it was swollen and red. It may be infected. I treated all scratches with Polysporin to prevent infection.
He will be fine....I had to stop wearing my engagement ring while my kids were infants. It kept scratching them.
He will be fine and the scratches will heal no permanent marks. :-)
Since this is the second time you've done this then you obviously need to find out what is scratching him then get rid of it. Cut your nails, take your jewelry off, see if there is something on your garments that is doing it, like a zipper pull or button edge.
We've all had things like this happen. Finding out what is doing it then fixing it is the way to prevent it from happening again.
Its a scratch not a cut. He will be fine. Cut your nails or find out what is causing the scratches and eliminate them.
In the scheme of things, this is minor. Relax and enjoy!!
welcome to mamapedia...
cut your nails and make sure they are filed smooth??? that's what common sense would do.
he didn't bleed? that means no wound. no scar. dah.
Sounds like you could use some parenting instruction around the care of newborns and the basics of the body's healing capacity.
Whatever you are doing that is causing scratches - whether it's wearing your nails too long or wearing rings with sharp prongs or other feature - stop. Cut your nails, smooth them, and don't wear jewelry.
Learn to use your pediatrician's nurse advice line. This is the office that can support you the best because they know your baby the best. Ask for a referral to an infant first aid class and a parenting support group.
I'm sure you're very tired and nervous with a baby who isn't even a month old, but you should have a 1 month check-up scheduled very soon and you can discuss your concerns there.
But most of us have scratched our babies or trimmed their fingernails too short causing some bleeding, that sort of thing. Kids are extremely resilient. But do make sure you are all checked out on safety precautions in the bigger issues - proper use of a carseat with a tiny baby, proper safety on the changing table and in the crib, and so on.
Well, I'm sure you've had your fair share of scratches on your skin over the years. Did they all leave scars?
Take a deep breath and try to use a little logic. Just because your son is only 25 days old doesn't mean his body is all that different from yours. True he's still maturing, but he's also a human being and will heel from minor injuries.
Relax.
Figure out how you are scratching him and then stop it. Simple!!
Easy as trimming your nails, wearing softer clothing with no zippers, etc sticking out, no jewelry that stick out and can scratch.
It is just a scratch and I am sure he will be ok and is not scarred for life but change what you are doing that scratches him.
Find out what's scratching him and eliminate it.
It won't scar.
Baby skin is sensitive and fragile.
Our son as a newborn scratched his own face with his own nails - he was trying to get his thumb in his mouth and didn't have the muscle coordination to do that at first.
I kept his nails trimmed and he found his thumb pretty quickly.
Keep your nails short and use a fine buffer on them to keep them smooth. Good luck.
he will survive. good advice below about preventing in the future.
have you seen the luvs commercials where first time moms are over protective and second and third babies get less and less overprotection? its true. with my son i was careful about everything. with dd not so much, both my kids are growing fine and i have learned to relax about the minor stuff.like cuts and scrapes
Cut your nails if they are the culprit.
No these scratches will fade to nothing. I ran into a problem with a couple rings I always wore so I put them away when the kids were little so I didn't scratch them. Figure out what is causing this issue and fix it. If its jewelry then take it off until he's older. If its you nails then trim them short and keep them that way. Anything you do will be only for a few years so its better to make the changes instead of bearing yourself over these things.
I'm going to bet that you are exhausted and more nervous than you ever have been in your entire life. You made a fresh human being...congratulations! Get some help: a relative, a girlfriend, whomever and take 30 minutes to go in the bathroom and take a look at anything you might be wearing that might be impeding you when you are with your son. I found that of all things, my watch band, would catch on our child's clothing and in my exhaustion I was always struggling to keep hold of him. You'll be fine and so will your child.
The redness and swallon should go down but if I were you I would clip my nails then file them smooth just as short as possible to prevent this from happening again. You can always grow them back as he gets older.
What are you scratching him with? If it is nails, cut and file them. You can have long nails again when he is older. If it is a ring, put it away until he is older. Each time you scratch him, you do risk an infection and you could have hurt his eye.
