Expert answer: David Geller, pediatrician

Yes. This is common for a few reasons.

Newborns are born with extra fluid in their bodies, which they excrete over the first few days of life. A newborn infant is expected to lose at least 10 percent of his or her birth weight in the first few days, mostly by losing water.

Fluid tends to collect in specific areas, particularly the face (causing puffy eyes) and genitalia (causing swollen labia in girls or a swollen scrotum in boys). The genitals may also be swollen due to the extra dose of maternal hormones that babies get just before birth.

Finally, a male infant may have extra fluid in a sac around one or both testicles. This is a common condition called a hydrocele (pronounced hydro-seal) that usually goes away by the end of the first year, if not within the first few months of life.

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