Care of newborn umbilical cord and handling of abnormalities
The umbilical cord connects the fetus to the placenta and is the channel through which the fetus absorbs and excretes metabolites from the mother's body. After the baby is born, the original meaning of the umbilical cord is lost. Therefore, after the baby is born, the doctor will cut off the end of the umbilical cord close to the baby, leaving a small umbilical cord stump. It takes 10 days to 3 weeks for the umbilical cord to dry and fall off at the root. The cut umbilical cord stump is very susceptible to bacterial infection, so the umbilical cord needs to be cared for very carefully.
Before the umbilical cord stump falls off and before the secretion disappears completely after the umbilical cord stump falls off, routine care of the baby's umbilicus should be done every day. Please pay attention to the following aspects specifically:
1. Disinfect the umbilicus every morning and evening or after bathing or after the umbilicus is contaminated by water or urine.
2. To disinfect the stump of the umbilical cord cutting site, the umbilical fossa also needs to be disinfected. The specific method is: use an iodophor cotton swab to apply it in a circular motion from the center of the umbilicus to the peripheral skin including the umbilical cord stump. Note that a cotton swab can only be applied once and cannot be applied back and forth.
3. When taking a bath, avoid getting the umbilicus wet.
When wearing a diaper, the upper front end of the diaper must be turned below the umbilicus to reduce friction and contamination of the umbilical cord stump.
special reminder:
It is normal for a newborn's navel to be sunken inward or slightly protruding outward. Don’t be alarmed if the skin around the umbilical cord is slightly red, has a small amount of oozing blood or a slight amount of mucus. Some babies will experience a small amount of bleeding or bloody discharge at the umbilicus when the umbilical cord falls off. Generally, no special treatment is required. If any of the following conditions occur, please see a doctor as soon as possible: the umbilical cord is red, swollen, pus discharges or has a peculiar smell; small red granules appear on the umbilical cord; the umbilical cord bleeds continuously or has a large amount of exudate; the umbilical hernia never shrinks back, there is local redness and swelling, and the baby cries. Restless and so on.
