The umbilical cord works as the connector between the mother and the baby during the time of pregnancy. During this time, the umbilical cord supplies all the required nutrients and oxygen to the developing baby. It also carries out all the waste products from the baby.
After birth doctors clamp and cut the cord. As it does not have any nerves neither the baby nor the mother feels anything. A small stump is left anywhere between from half-inch to one inch on the baby’s belly.
How to take care of the stump?
One has to be gentle when it comes to taking care of the umbilical cord. It is highly advised to keep your hands off of it and never pull on it. In the beginning, the stump may look yellow and shiny but as time passes it becomes gray or brown or even blue or purplish. It shrinks and turns black before falling off on its own.
Usually, after 10 to 14 days of your baby’s birth, it falls off. But in some cases, it can take as long as 21 days.
Here are some tips to take care of the area during the time of two to three weeks.
- Only stick with sponge baths: Avoid giving your baby a bath in the sink or in the special tub. Only give a sponge bath. In case you give your baby a bath make sure to dry the area completely. Do not rub the area to dry as it can cause irritation.
- Always keep the stump dry: before it was instructed to swab the particular area with rubbing alcohol after each and every diaper change. But it can kill good bacterias as well, which is required for healing. It is advised to expose the stump to the air and help it to dry out the base. Use newborn diapers, which have a special cutout or fold the diaper in order to avoid covering the stump.
- Allow the stump to fall off on its own: never pull off the stump and allow it to fall off on its own.
When to see a doctor?
Check the cord often for infections and if you notice the following things, immediately call your doctor.
- Any kind of bad smell coming from the cord.
- Redness around the cord
- If the cord remains soft and moist
- Blood on the end of the cord
- Any kind of white or yellow discharge
- If the area around the cord causes any kind of a pain to your baby. Such as if you touch it your baby starts crying.
A few drops of blood is normal in your baby’s diaper when the stump separates. But in case you notice a lot of blood, immediately consult a doctor. Also if you see that after three weeks the stumps are not falling off, keep patience and in case the time becomes six weeks and you notice any signs of infection it is the time to see your doctor.
After the cord is fallen off, continue to keep the area dry and clean. You may notice a sticky, yellow fluid that oozes out, which is totally normal. Sometimes, when the cord falls off, this happens it’s not an infection. But in case the baby’s stomach becomes red or she develops a fever do not wait for anything and immediately rush to a doctor.
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