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Umbilical Cord Tips
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The umbilical cord provides nourishment to your baby during your pregnancy, and connects the baby to you through the bellybutton. At the time of birth, the umbilical cord is cut off at most part, being left just a tiny purplish-blue stump that is about a half inch to an inch long. It will take some time (approximately 2 weeks but occasionally up to 8 weeks) to the stump dries up and falls off. It will also need a little care and attention to avoid infection and irritation.
You should take some precautions while taking care of the baby’s umbilical cord, such as always keeping the area clean. As some pediatricians recommend, you may clean the base of the cord with rubbing alcohol after every diaper change. Other pediatricians prefer that the stump is left completely alone, because some believes that alcohol irritates the skin and sometimes delays healing. Other alternative methods include the using Goldenseal Root and Echinacea. However in any case consult your child’s pediatrician for his/her recommendation.
In addition, you may keep the area dry, allowing the cord to be exposed to air as often as possible, try not to block it with the diaper. This allows the base of the cord to dry and will decrease the amount of time that is required for healing to occur. Using newborn diapers that have a special cut out or folding your baby’s diaper down will help keep the cord from being irritated and blocked. If weather permits, you could also dress your baby in a t-shirt and diaper only to allow more time for the cord to dry out.
Remember to only give sponge baths. Do not bathe your baby in a sink or special tub until after the umbilical cord has fallen off.
And finally, allow the cord to heal naturally, even if it appears to be hanging on by a thread. Try to refrain from picking and pulling the cord off.
Pay extra attention at this period to signs of infections by observing the base of the cord appears red or swollen, if it continues to bleed, Oozes yellowish or white pus producing a foul smelling discharge, or even if seems painful to your baby.
In the case of any of these signs of infection call your baby’s pediatrician. Also if the cord is actively bleeding (Active bleeding is defined as when a drop of blood is wiped away another drop appears). This normally occurs if the cord is pulled off prematurely.
Another thing to consider is something called Umbilical Granuloma which is characterized by a small nodule of firm pinkish-red tissue (similar to scar tissue) with persistent yellow-green drainage but it is not accompanied by swelling, redness, warmth, tenderness, or a fever. Many times this will go away in a week with the frequent application of rubbing alcohol, or your child’s pediatrician can treat this in the office by cauterizing the area. Cauterization includes applying silver nitrate to the area, which burns the tissue. There are no nerve endings in the area, so it is not painful. Liquid nitrogen can also be used to freeze the area. A surgical thread can be tied around the base of the granuloma, which causes it to die and fall off.
One more thing, there is no way to predict whether you child will have an “innie” or an “outie”. Many people believe that taping a coin or other flat object over the navel will help ensure their child has an “innie”, but this is not true.
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