Final answer:
The purple skin of Eric's newborn daughter was due to acrocyanosis, a lack of oxygen before taking her first breath, normalizing as she started breathing. The 'cream cheese' layer is vernix caseosa, which protects the baby's skin in the womb. These are normal newborn characteristics.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Eric's daughter was born with purple skin and a cream cheese-like layer, it was a normal and transient condition. The purple skin color is due to the baby not yet having taken her first breath, which causes a lack of oxygen in the skin, making it appear purple. This is called acrocyanosis and is completely normal in the first few minutes after birth. Once the baby starts breathing normally, oxygen levels increase, and the skin turns to a normal pink color.
The 'cream cheese' layer Eric noticed is known as vernix caseosa, which is a waxy, white substance that protects the baby's skin in the womb. Vernix plays a crucial role in buffering the baby's skin against the amniotic fluid and easing the passage through the birth canal. After birth, vernix is typically wiped off or absorbed into the baby's skin.
These characteristics are not exclusive to babies of northern European descent and can be observed in newborns across all ethnicities. The purple color changing to pink and the presence of vernix caseosa are both normal parts of the neonatal phase, which refers to the first four weeks of life after birth.