Umbilical Cord Facts and Aftercare

What is Umbilical Cord?

The umbilical cord is a tube that connects a baby to the mother's placenta during pregnancy. This tube helps in delivering oxygen and nutrients to a developing baby in the womb. This also helps in carrying waste away from the body. After birth, the baby can eat, breathe, and remove the waste on their own so, there is no more need for an umbilical cord. Doctors or midwives will clamp and cut down the umbilical cord.

The umbilical cord doesn’t have nerves, so it doesn’t hurt to baby and mother while cutting, just like you trimming your nail or having your hair cut. The left-behind umbilical cord is a cord stump that is two to three centimeters long. This stump is still attached to the baby's belly so be careful while taking care of it.

How long it will take to heal?

If the chord stump is properly cared for, it will naturally fall off after 5 to 15 days or 1 to 3 weeks of healing. If your baby's stump hasn't fallen out after 4 weeks see your baby's doctor. There may be a problem with your baby's anatomy or immune system.

During the first few days of life, the stump darkens, shrinks, and eventually falls off to become the baby's navel. In some cases, it may take 1-2 weeks. The baby's navel area may bleed immediately after the stump dries and falls off.  The only visible wound will eventually heal and turn into your child's belly button. This is an indication of the healing process.

Caring and cleaning of belly button

Here are some pointers for caring for a newborn baby's belly button:

• No doubt, the umbilical cord doesn’t have nerves but it still attaches to the baby's skin so, keep your hands away from it as much as you can and be careful while changing the baby’s diaper.

• Before handling the cord stump, wash your hands.

• You don't need to wash it frequently to keep it clean.

• If your baby's belly button area gets poo or wee on it, clean it up with water only. No need to use soap, lotions, or antiseptic ointments.

• Use a clean baby washcloth to gently massage the chord dry if it gets wet.

• After that, allow the cord to air dry. Isopropyl alcohol or other chemicals are not required to sanitize the area.

• To prevent the front of your baby's diaper from covering the stump, keep it folded down.

• Even if the stump appears to be about to fall out, never attempt to remove it yourself.

 Bathe baby with stump attached

• In a warm area of your home, spread out a clean, dry bath towel on the floor.

• Place your infant on the towel, bare.

• To avoid it dripping wet, thoroughly moisten a clean baby washcloth and ring it out.

• Gently wipe your baby's skin, being careful to avoid the belly button.

• Pay attention to the underarms and wrinkles of the neck, where milk or formula may accumulate.

• As long as possible, let your baby's skin air dry before pressing it dry.

• Put clean, silk clothing on your child that is not too tight or too loose.

What do I do after the cord stump has broken off?

• Simply discard the stump.

• Wash your hands before handling to belly button area of the baby.

• You can give bathe your baby

• Don’t rub the belly button area too vigorously, just take a corner of a soft cloth and clean it.

• You may see a few drops of blood in diapers, but it's normal. If there's a lot of blood consult a pediatrician.

• It is typical for the belly button to appear slightly grimy or to have a red area where the cord was.

• After the chord has been cut, keep the area dry and clean.

When is it necessary to visit a doctor?

Call your doctor if your baby has the following symptoms.

• Swelling and Redness around the belly button

• Yellow, cloudy drainage with a bad smell

• Leak pus or fluid

• Poor feeding

• High fever (100.4F)

• Your baby starts to look abnormal

• Muscle tone issues (hypotonia)

• Cord starts to look infected

• If the cord hasn’t separated 4 weeks

• Your child sleeps more and feels lethargic

• Bleeding

Is Alcohol usable for umbilical cord care?

In the past parents use alcohol to clean stumps. But now it's not suggested to use alcohol, as it could destroy healthy bacteria that help in the natural healing process and helps in the separation of the stump from the baby’s body. Simply clean it with water and make sure it remains air dry.

Serious Complications

Umbilical Granuloma

• In this case stump instead of completely drying, falls naturally but leaves a small round scar in the center of the belly button, usually appearing pinkish-red in color. Granuloma drains mucus, a light yellow fluid.

• It usually occurs in 1 out of 500 newborn babies. It may grow in size and cause an umbilical infection. Check it with your doctor. This is easily treated by doctors, by using a chemical called silver nitrate. It will be treated in a week, if granuloma stays more than a week talk to the baby’s pediatrician.

 Umbilical Hernia

• Umbilical hernias are swollen bumps that appear when a part of your intestines sticks out through your abdominal muscles near your navel. Umbilical hernias are frequently benign and common.

• The belly button protrudes when the baby cries, which is a classic sign of an umbilical hernia. Umbilical hernia in babies close within 2 years but some might take 5 years or more. Hernia becomes bigger while crying, laughing, and coughing. And shrink when the baby relaxes.

Omphalitis

• It is a medical emergency in which bacterial infection occurs at the umbilical stump and in surrounding tissues.

• Symptoms include fever, bleeding, redness around the belly button, abdominal swelling, and bad smell. This usually occurs in 1 out of 200 newborn infants. It's treated by using antibiotics.