How Take Care of Your Newborn’s Umbilical Cord?

Taking care of your newborn’s umbilical cord involves a few key steps:

1. Keep it dry: The umbilical cord stump needs to dry up before it falls off. Expose the stump to air to help dry out the base.

2. Expose it to air: Keep the front of your baby’s diaper folded down, so it doesn’t cover the stump. Or cut off a small piece of the diaper with scissors and use tape to seal the edge.

3. Clean up any fluids around the stump: Clear or blood-tinged fluids may seep out around the umbilical cord stump. If you notice any, clean them off with a wet cotton swab. You may need to gently push down on the skin around the cord stump to reach all the fluids.

4. Stick with sponge baths: These might make it easier to keep the stump dry than a regular bath would. During a sponge bath, you wipe or dab areas that need to be cleaned.

5. Let the stump fall off on its own: Do not pull off the stump yourself. The stump usually falls off by itself in about one to two weeks.

Remember, it’s important to consult with your healthcare provider if you have any concerns or questions about caring for your baby’s umbilical cord. If you notice bleeding from the end of the cord or the area near the skin, moisture, an unusual odor or discharge from the cord, swelling or redness of the skin around the navel, or signs that the navel area is painful to your baby, call your baby’s healthcare provider right away.