How to Care for the Umbilical Cord

Your baby's umbilical cord was cut off and clamped at birth. The stump will become dark and hard, shrivel up and fall off in one to four weeks. If the cord doesn't fall off in one to two months, it might have to be burned or tied off by the doctor.

Before the cord is removed you'll need to learn about the umbilical cord and how to clean and care for it.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cotton Swabs
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Cotton Swabs
• Rubbing Alcohol

1. Fold baby's diaper below the stump to expose it to air as much as possible.

2. Use a sterile cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol or an alcohol pad to clean the cord and stump when changing your baby's diaper.

3. Give your baby sponge baths. After the stump falls off, you can start to give your baby tub baths.

4. Wipe with a cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol if you notice some discharge or bleeding a few days before and after the cord falls off.

Tips & Warnings

• Never try to pull off the stump.
• Signs of an infection include oozing and bleeding for more than a few days, redness around the cord and a foul odor.

[immortality2269]

on 8/19/2009 I am of the opinion that the Umbilical Cord and the Placenta are the organs of the unborn child and that it should not be cut and thrown away.There are two important veins and one artery going throughout the umbilical cord from the body of the child right upto the inside of the placenta.If anyone is interested in this theory of mine they can please email me at [e-mail]

Immortality.....

[plushstevie]

on 9/24/2008 my daughter's two week old son's umbilical cord fell off or so we thought- atleast most of it did- a big hunk and the clamp part... it looked like nice pink smooth skin with a small amount of crusting so we bathed him fr the first time- his mom (my daughter) was so anxious to give him a good bath- now his umbilical cord area looks all scabbed up again- maybe we jumped the gun- will it hurt???

on 11/22/2005 Alcohol is no longer recommended for caring for baby's umbilical stumps. It is readily absorbed by babies' skin and can be toxic. Cases of acute alcohol toxicity have been reported after generous applications of alcohol to babies' stumps, especially when they are then covered with a moisture-resistant bandage. The effects found from putting alcohol on babies' skin included hemorrhagic skin necrosis (dying skin), dysfunction of the baby's central nervous system, metabolic acidosis, and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Using alcohol on a baby's stump was found to delay healing by nearly two days. It is now recommended that the stump be left alone and simply allowed to dry and fall off naturally on its own.

on 11/22/2005 Rubbing alcohol is around 30% water ... consider avoiding the rubbing alcohol, because once it evaporates, you still have a soft, wet stump that can infect until you put the alcohol on it again. Consider powder goldenseal instead to dry the stump and fight infection if you're also using the alcohol to dry the stump.

on 11/22/2005 I found that it is much easier to get a cotton ball really wet with alcohol and then squeeze the alcohol onto the cord. The alcohol will naturally run into all the creases and you don't have to deal with trying to get under the cord with the cotton ball. Just make sure that you have something handy to wipe up the runoff.