Umbilical cord care at home.

How long does it take for the umbilical cord to fall off?

The arrival of your newborn baby will be a happy time for the whole family and caring for the latest member of your arrival, including effective umbilical cord care, will feature prominently in your life for some time. The umbilical cord is the means by which your baby receives its nutrition while in your womb and when born the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. There is no pain involved in this and so no reason to worry, and there are very rarely any complications. However, a short stump usually about an inch long will be left where the belly button will soon appear. It may not be the most attractive feature that your baby has but good umbilical cord care is important to ensure that it does not get an infection.

After birth your baby will be left with a short blue stub up to an inch in length and while it may not look very attractive it is certainly nothing to worry about and is perfectly natural. The umbilical cord will dry up and fall off with no problems as long as when considering umbilical cord infant care you take heed of several recommendations. Your hospital or primary care giver will usually indicate the best way to look after your child and this will include information regarding the umbilical cord. However, the cord will usually fall off within seven to 10 days. In some cases it can remain longer and if you are worried because the cord has remained after several weeks you should consult your pediatrician.

General care.

You should always leave the umbilical cord to fall off naturally, even if it only appears to be hanging on by a thread. Pulling the cord off can result in bleeding and possibly infection.

Always be sure to keep the cord dry, sponge bathe your baby until the cord falls off and make sure that you turn the top of the nappy over or fold it under to ensure that the cord does not get wet with urine. There are nappies available for newborn babies that have access or holes in the naval region and these are readily available in most stores.

Hospitals and caregivers used to advise bathing the cord in sterile alcohol however recent tests have actually shown that this treatment can lead to the cord taking longer to fall off than if left to do so naturally. Tests were carried out on 1800 newborn infants in Canada, half had the cords treated in alcohol while the remaining half were left untouched and uncovered. On average the babies whose umbilical cords were washed in alcohol lost their cords after ten days compared to just eight for those left untreated.

Possible signs of infection.

It is actually very rare for a baby's umbilical cord to become infected, however, it is important that you know the signs in order that you can visit your primary caregiver and seek guidance and medical assistance in the unlikely event that it does occur. If the cord area becomes enflamed or reddened, has any seepage or a bad odor, a tenderness of the skin or active bleeding then you should consult your pediatrician as soon as possible in order to have your baby properly checked over.

The removal of the umbilical cord usually leaves a fairly nasty looking stump around your baby's naval, but far from being a sign for concern it is perfectly natural. The cord will usually dry up and fall off of it's own accord within two weeks however they can last for a month or more. If the cord is still present after six weeks you should have your baby checked out. You should also ensure that you take good care of the umbilical cord during this time to prevent infection and if any signs of infection do show then you should again consult the primary caregiver for your child.

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