Mommy Glossary U- W

A Glossary for what parents should know especially for moms in the first year of parenthood.

Mommy Glossary U- W

Umbilicus – Belly button, tummy button –site of the umbilical cord which attached the baby to you until he was born.

Vaginal discharges – -babies sometimes lose a little blood from the vigina soon after they are born. This is quite normal. Later on vaginal discharges may indicate threadworms (see above). Toddlers sometimes push all sorts of small objects into the vagina. This produces a discharge.

Vernix – A greasy, waxy substance that covers a baby’s skin when it is born. Clearly it has a protective nature. Probably it water-proofs the baby’s skin during the months in which baby floats inside the womb protected by the waters (amniotic fluid).

Wax in the Ear – All babies have some protective wax in the ears. At times this runs out and is golden brown in colour. It is quite normal and has to be distinguished from ear discharge which is yellow and may be bloodstained. This needs medical attention.

Whooping Cough – A nasty chronic disease of babies and young children, caused by a virus and for which there is no effective treatment. This is why protective vaccination is so important.

Wind – All babies swallow air when feeding. This collects in the stomach and is usually released by winding the baby. If babies don’t bring their wind up it can go down into the bowels where it causes colicky pains in the abdomen (see Colic).

Mommy Glossary A- H