Umbilical Cord Care - nelsonpatientinstructions.com

1 NUmbilical cord CarenDuring pregnancy, the Umbilical cord is thebaby s connection to the mother. After birth, thecord is cut, and the stump remains connected tothe baby. This is where the navel (belly button) willbe. You ll be taught some simple steps to care forthe cord stump after taking your baby there are a few things to watch out for,problems with the Umbilical cord stump are usually falls off within a few is the Umbilical cord ?While your baby was in the womb, he or she wasconnected to you by two important organs: the placentaand the Umbilical cord . The Umbilical cord is the fetus s life support system during pregnancy; it contains bloodvessels that provide oxygen and nutrition.

2 At birth, theumbilical cord is cut, and the stump remains attached tothe the first few weeks after birth, the Umbilical cordstump gradually dries and heals. It falls off on its own withina few weeks. During this time, some simple care is neededto keep the cord clean and dry. You should be alert for anysigns of infection or bleeding; however, these and other com-plications are uncommon. If any problems occur, or if thestump hasn t fallen off within 4 weeks, call your doctor does it look like? Immediately after birth, the Umbilical cord is cut. A clampis placed near the cut end to prevent bleeding. The doctorexamines the Umbilical cord and placenta to make surethey are normal.

3 Within a few days, the stump begins to dry out andbecomes darker. For the first few weeks, simple care is needed to keep thecord stump dry and clean. You should sponge-batheyour baby during this time rather than bathing him orher in a tub. The cord stump gradually becomes dry and black. Itshould fall off on its own around this time. The areaaround your baby s new belly button will be a little redat first but should soon look like normal do you care for the umbilicalcord stump? Keep the cord stump clean and dry until it falls off. Washyour baby with a sponge or wash cloth and warm water.(To keep your baby warm, baths should be quick duringthe first few weeks anyway.)

4 At every diaper change, use soap and water to clean thearea around the cord stump. Pull up gently on the stumpand clean around its base. A little foul odor and moistureare normal in this area. Some doctors may recommend cleaning the stump withrubbing alcohol. You may clean the area with a smallamount of rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or swab oruse packaged alcohol wipes. Try not to use more rubbingalcohol than is necessary. Keep the cord stump over the diaper; it should not beinside the diaper. You may need to fold down the topedge of the there any possible problems?Problems related to the Umbilical cord stump are possiblebut uncommon: of the cord stump (called omphali-tis ) is the most serious problem.

5 Although a little mois-ture and foul odor can be normal, draining fluid andredness of the skin around the stump may mean infectionis drainage and redness are present, see!yourdoctor right away.(Just fluid, without redness, is mostcommon with granuloma not a serious problem.) should be little or no bleeding from thecord stump. Bleeding is most likely to occur if the cordis pulled off too early. the skin around the cord stump is slow toheal, Umbilical granuloma may be present. The granulomalooks like a small, round growth. There is usually somewetness in the belly button. Umbilical granuloma is a rela-tively common problem that is not serious.

6 Simple treat-ment may be needed, most commonly the use of silvernitrate to speed healing. Prolonged occurs when the umbilicalcord stump takes longer than 3 to 4 weeks to fall off. Itis usually not a serious problem. Umbilical of the intestines may stick outthrough the belly button after the cord stump falls may notice a swollen area that gets larger when yourbaby coughs or cries. Usually, the swelling is easily pushedback into place. Treatment is usually not needed unless thehernia is very large or doesn t go away on its own. Embryologic are problems occur-ring when the baby was forming in the mother s may include cysts or connections between the umbi-licus (belly button) and the urinary system or may be needed to repair the 2007 by Elsevier430 Can Umbilical cord problemsbe prevented?

7 Following steps to keep the Umbilical cord stump cleanand dry may help to prevent should I call your office? Umbilical cord problems are uncommon, but it isimportant to watch out for signs of infection or otherproblems.!Call our officeimmediatelyif any of the following occurs: Redness beyond the area immediately around the base ofthe cord stump. Active bleeding more than a drop or two of blood fromthe cord stump. Drainage or moisture a lot of fluid coming from thecord stump, or if moisture or drainage is present for morethan a few days. Very foul our office if any of the following nonemergencyconditions occurs: The cord stump doesn t fall off on its own within 4weeks.

8 Swelling is present under the skin around the belly but-ton cord Caren431 Copyright 2007 by Elsevier