newborn umbilical cord care, umbilical chord stump

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UMBILICAL STUMP CARE

An important remnant of a baby's close attachment to his or her mother in the uterus is the stump of the umbilical cord. It turns black a few days after birth and can be expected to drop off any where between one and four weeks later. You can hasten healing and prevent infection by keeping the area dry and exposed to air. The following will help accomplish this:

1. When putting on baby's nappy, fold the front of it down below the navel to keep urine off and let air in. Fold the vest up.
2. Skip baby baths and avoid wetting the navel when sponging, until the cord falls off.
3. Though it's been traditional to keep swabbing the stump with alcohol once baby gets home, recent studies show that healing is faster without continued use of alcohol, and there is no increased risk of infection. Ask doctor or midwife what he or she recommends. If you do apply alcohol, using cotton swab will prevent irritation of tender surrounding skin.
4. If the area around the navel turns line red, or the site oozes or has a foul smell, call the doctor.