Umbilical Cord Care

Umbilical cord care in a proper way is essential to keeping your newborn perfectly health. That umbilical cord may be ugly now, but it actually tethered your baby to your womb, making sure that he is getting all the nutrients he needs to develop properly. As soon as you gave birth to him, the cord was cut so now a short stump remains in his belly. This short stump will eventually shrink, blacken, and fall off four weeks after the cord was cut. An umbilical stump sure looks weird, but tending to it is actually quite simple.

Caring for the umbilical stump

The first step for umbilical cord care is to keep the area clean at all times. Some pediatricians also recommend the use of rubbing alcohol for cleaning the base of the cord after every diaper change. Others suggest parents to leave the stump alone because rubbing alcohol may irritate your baby’s sensitive skin and delay healing. Other alternative methods that you can use when caring for the umbilical stump include the use of Echinacea and Goldenseal Root. However, it is always best to consult your child’s doctor before applying anything to the umbilical cord.

For umbilical cord care in a proper way, you also have to keep the area dry at all times. Make sure that the stump is exposed to air most of the time. This will allow the base of the cord to dry, thus speeding up the entire healing process. You should also look for diapers that were specially cut out or at least keep your baby’s diaper folded down to prevent the cord from becoming irritated. Dress your child in a diaper and t-shirt to give the cord enough time to dry out. While the stump remains in your child’s belly, give him sponge baths instead of bathing him in a sink or special tub.

The most important step to umbilical cord care is to let it heal naturally. Although it may be tempting to help the cord fall off and dry out if it seems hanging on the tiniest thread, it is still best to allow this to occur naturally. Let the entire scab fall off on its own and do not attempt to pull it. Caring for the umbilical cord is simple. Just keep the scab dry and clean or leave it alone and let it heal naturally. The skin around the navel is also very sensitive so you should prevent bumping it at all costs. As long as you were able to keep the area around the cord clean and dry, you can prevent viruses and bacteria from getting inside the delicate area.

Signs of umbilical cord infection

In some cases, the short umbilical stump also gets infected. If your newborn seems in pain or you noticed the common signs of umbilical cord infection, you have to visit your child’s pediatrician as soon as possible. Common signs of infection include smelly discharge or oozing pus, swollen appearance, fever, and bleeding from the scab. If these signs are present and the base of the cord continues to bleed, you have to call the doctor immediately. The umbilical stump usually bleeds actively when it is prematurely pulled off, thus causing a wound to form around your child’s navel.

Umbilical granuloma, a form of umbilical cord infection, is usually characterized by a small nodule of firm red or pinkish tissue with persistent green or yellow discharge. However, this condition is harder to detect because it is not accompanied by swelling, tenderness, redness, or fever. In most cases, it will usually go away after a week of consistent application of rubbing alcohol to the affected area. You may also visit your child’s pediatrician and ask him to treat the wound through cauterization. It includes the application of silver nitrate to the affected area, which slowly burns the tissue. This area does not have nerve endings so cauterization is not necessarily painful. The doctor may also tie a surgical thread around the base of the cord, which eventually causes it to dry out and fall off.

Umbilical cord care after it falls off

Umbilical cord care after it falls off, you can describe bellybuttons as crinkly indentations or little nubs, but this is not the case if you are still attending to newborn umbilical cord care. Your child’s bellybutton will first start out as an umbilical stump that is approximately an inch long. Once the stump dries out and falls out, you will still need to keep and clean and dry to prevent infection. During your pregnancy, the umbilical cord is responsible for supplying oxygen and nutrients to your developing baby. When you give birth, your child will no longer need the cord so it can be snipped and clamped. This will leave behind a short stump.

Although the umbilical stump does not have nerve fibers that are sensitive to pain, umbilical cord care in a proper way is still important. Your baby will not feel anything when the cord is cut but you will have to care the remaining stump if you want to prevent your child from getting an infection. The stump will eventually change from yellowish green to black as it dries out. It will also fall off two weeks after you gave birth to your baby. In the meantime, you have to treat the area gently and make sure that it is clean and dry at all times. Once you see any sign of infection, you should call the doctor and have it treated immediately.

If you are curious about Umbilical Cord Care in a proper way, you are probably wondering if there is any way to predict whether your child will get an outie or an innie. While most people believe that taping a coin or any flat object over the navel will increase your child’s chances of having an innie, this is actually nothing but an old wives tale. After all, placing any object over your child’s navel will also increase his chances of getting an infection. Always remember that the key to Umbilical Cord Care in a proper way is to make sure that the area remains clean and dry and to let it heal naturally.

Now you will be alright to take care of your love, you know about Umbilical cord care.

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