I am trying to describe a newborn baby at the hospital. When a baby is born she moves her hands and legs. How can I describe that? Also, what can I say about the color of a newborn baby? Can I use reddish? Please tell me what you think about this and how it can be made better: The little girl was frantically flailing in the nurse's hand. Her reddish body was helplessly moving in the air as she screamed for no one knew what. Is there a book in which the process of birth is depicted, from which I can learn?
honestly depends on the race of the baby... my sister is dark skinned and she was pale with a purple undertone. I saw pictures of myself as a new born and I was a pale orange-ish. My brother was jaundice so he was yellow. either way, they are pale with white gunk on them (before they are cleaned) I would google "newborn babies" and then use those as references. ETA: I'm assuming you mean "reddish" as in the baby is covered in blood? (those who have given birth or have witnessed births, correct me if I'm wrong) When a baby is born, it is covered in amniotic fluid which is not typically red. a baby wouldn't be covered in blood unless trauma has occurred during birth yes. many, many, MANY, haha! but all of it is on the internet these days. Again, I would start with a web search
Patient Education Animation: Labor and Vaginal Birth (you're going to have to google on your own for examples of live births. I would suggest the search terms "childbirth video" and "vaginal birth video" to get started)
Could you please tell me if "flailing" work to describe the movement? The little girl was frantically flailing in the nurse's hand. Her body was helplessly moving in the air as she screamed for no one knew what.
"frantically flailing" sounds like something a toddler would do, or at least an older baby. Honestly, all newborns really do is sleep. I mean, I admit I was utterly out of it when I gave birth and really didn't see anything till the doctor plonked her on my chest, but I do not remember any flailing, nor actually, any crying. Gosh I remember so little of it lol. The pain had been mind-bending. But no, she was really, really peaceful. She wasn't crying - she was breathing and she was snuggled, and her eyes were black and gazing ahead, like there were no thoughts behind them. It sorta depends on your character's POV. If this was a desperate, terrified new father who's just had the shock of his life hearing his wife scream bloody murder for the last several hours, I can understand why he might describe things the way you have lol. If you asked at any maternity ward, I'm sure the midwives and doctors would tell you and if you're not afraid, I'd google vaginal birth footage or documentary on Youtube.
Yeah babies have some white coating on them called vernix. Both my kids came out being tanner than they eventually ended up. That's all I remember about their skin tone at the time. I think newborns can get flushed if they are wailing hard. I think their movements are a bit jerky at first.
Newborns generally come out a pinky, purply colour mainly due to running at lower oxygen levels whilst in the womb and due to the trauma of being squeezed through a small hole. The core may be pinker and the arms and legs might look purple/blue. Once they’ve taken their first breaths and starting breathing on their own they pink up nicely. It requires a pretty big breath to inflate their lungs so that’s partly why most babies cry - it creates a higher pressure (like blowing up a balloon requires a bit more effort to get it started). Babies are also wet and slippery when born. We look for movement of the arms and legs as that indicates good tone but they don’t generally “flail”. They might wave their arms and kind of scrunch up their legs.
The little girl feebly flailed in the nurse's hands. Her reddish body screamed for no one knew what. I'd crunch it down like that. Leave your adverb on only one phrase (e.g., frantically & helplessly). I used "feebly" because it kind of combines the two. This has given me a good idea for a story. I like writing historical horror. I'll quadruple the words with setting detail and getting the MC in scene. That should get me through page 2. Spoiler: Notes for page 1 and 2 Dr. Brimble topped his bourbon high, near to overflowing. He flipped over another tumbler and poured me half a glass as well. "It is unseemly, doctor," I said, waving away the offer, as a gentleman should. "At such an early hour?" Brimble made no comment. As he imbibed deeply, the two of us sat in conversational silence. Behind us, a fly battered itself senseless against the panes of his office window, while from the adjacent avenues carried the trundle of carts led by shouting stevedores, the clop of porter's drays upon the flagstones. Always, always, that fly, buzzing madly. Brimble did not seem to blink, not until the outside traffic stilled. He set down his glass and spoke. "The Geoffreys child." "The delivery went well?" I asked cheerfully, and then seeing Brimble's grimace, hastily grasped at decorum. "Or perhaps . . . in God's hands? It is not our place to--" "It was as cold as a stone, and yet . . ." Dr. Brimble leaned forward. "It was watching me, Oliver." "Sir?" "A desiccated thing, too sickly to draw breath, which I assure you, it did not, and yet it had drained the soul from poor Mrs. Geoffreys. It made not the slightest motion. Its bloodless body lay cupped in my palms, like a bundle of winter, and all I felt was emptiness." He turned his hands over and flexed his long fingers, the fingers of either an artist or a surgeon, he'd once told me, and had then boasted how he was both. "Damnatio ad bestias." "My Latin has gone to seed, sir." "That is what said to me, Oliver. The cursed thing spoke. It threatened to feed me to the lions." haha! I'll try to finish this one this week. I'll shoot for 4500 words. I wonder if any open markets fit my theme?
