It is very important to clean your baby girl’s genitals carefully because it is very delicate. The newborn girl’s genitals has been exposed to many hormones in the uterus. These hormones may have

• made the outside of the vagina (labia major and clitoris ) more prominent and a little swollen
• caused a thick , milky discharge from the vagina

You baby may also have a little bleeding from the vagina 2 to 3 days after birth. This is normal and is caused by withdrawal of the hormones she was exposed to in the womb.

Caring for your baby girl’s genitals

You should clean your baby’s genitals just as you will clean any part of the body. Wash the area with warm water . Spread the labia and wipe downwards towards the rectum. There is no need to go deeper. Nature takes care of naturally cleaning the inside of the vagina.

You can add a little mild , baby cleanser to the water or use fragrance free baby wipes. Be sure to test these on a small area of the baby’s skin to make sure the baby won’t react to it.

When changing diapers, always wipe from the front to the back away from the vagina and urethra. This will help prevent the transfer of germs from the baby’s bottom to the vagina and urethra, causing an infection.

If the newborn’s diaper  is very dirty and there is poop on the lips of the vagina (labia), do the following :

• Gently separate  your baby’s labia with clean fingers
• Use a moist , clean wash cloth  or a fragrance free wipe to clean the area from the front to the back, down the middle
• Use a fresh, damp cloth or wipe to clean each side within  her labia

If the baby pooped  before bath time, clean her bottom and genitals before putting her in the water. When washing your baby’s bottom, you can use just water or add  a mild liquid baby cleanser . Use a sponge  or funnel to gently wash the bottom area,  cleaning from front to back. You  can swish the water around. It is essential that you dont scrub when washing the baby’s bottom or wipe when drying her with a towel.  It is best to pat her dry.

Discharge from your baby’s genitals is normal and should go away within  the first few weeks of life. However if the discharge persist for 6 weeks or more, mention it to your pediatrician.