Keep it dry

How to care for the slightly scary, slightly icky, umbilical cord stump. Don’t worry… Soon your baby will have a cute little belly button.

The umbilical cord connected your baby to you in the womb. Shortly after birth, it is cut. Baby is an independent little being now who can breathe by himself and receive nutrition through breastfeeding. In a way, you can think of his belly button as the last part of him that changes him from a baby in the womb, to a babe in arms. This is what you need to know about taking care of the stump… After birth, the cord is clamped and cut. Don’t worry – cutting the cord does not cause you or your baby any pain, because like your hair or nails, it doesn’t have nerve endings. The other end of the cord is connected to your placenta, which is expelled after birth. After this is all examined by your doctor (it is important that nothing remains behind inside you), it will be destroyed as medical waste, unless you request otherwise. Some people do, but that’s another article for another day.

A short stump with a plastic clamp on it is left behind on your baby’s tummy. The stump will gradually dry up and eventually drop off, usually within two weeks. It won’t hurt your baby when it happens.

AND THEN WHAT?

These days, dry cord care is encouraged. If this is your second baby, you’ll remember that a few years ago you were told to use alcohol or other antimicrobials to keep the area clean, but this is not recommended anymore.

Dry cord care couldn’t be simpler. You simply keep the area clean and leave it exposed to air or loosely covered by a clean cloth.

The risk of infection is very small. The first three days after birth is the greatest risk period for umbilical stump colonisation. Skin-to-skin contact with you is encouraged to promote colonisation of the umbilicus with non-pathogenic bacteria from your skin flora.

If the area becomes dirty for whatever reason, you can clean it with soap, sterile water and cotton pads and then let it dry. Be sure to wash your hands before dealing with the stump.

Every day you can wipe around the area with cooled boiled water and cotton wool. Then dry it off with another piece of cotton wool.

It will change colour as it shrivels up and dries.

To help the area heal, try and avoid having the nappy chafe there. Buy newborn nappies with a special cut-out over the navel, or tuck the nappy over to leave the stump exposed. This way you reduce rubbing and sweating. Even though it looks a bit like a wound, don’t bandage it. We know you’re keen to get rid of it so you can start blowing raspberries on that little tummy, but pulling on it is not recommended. The best way to speed things up is to expose it to air, so it dries out faster. So delay Baby’s first bath by a few days.

The cord site does not need any creams, soaps or powders as part of routine care. Don’t be tempted to take the clamp off – rather just leave it in place. The less you interfere, the better.

…AND THEN IT’S GONE

Somewhere between day 10 and 14 you might be wiping the area, and the cord will give you a fright by just coming away by itself, or you might remove your baby’s clothing for a nappy change to find that it has fallen off.

When the stump falls off, there might be a tiny spot of blood on the nappy – don’t worry, it’s normal. Sometimes, after the stump falls off, there’s some drainage of clear and yellow fluid, which is normal.

WHEN TO WORRY

If you spot any redness around the base of the cord, or if there is a lot of pus or discharge from the area, yellow in colour, you should be worried. Also see the doctor if there is more blood than just a spot. The cord definitely shouldn’t smell offensive either – that is a sign of infection. A newborn with a high or low temperature, who is floppy and not feeding well, should also be taken to the doctor immediately. ●