When the newborn arrives, the medical staff will carefully disinfect the newborn and teach their families how to care for the umbilical cord. So when babies return home, parents can take proper care of them until the umbilical cord is dry and falls off. Normally, the umbilical cord falls off 3 to 7 days after birth. But before the umbilical cord falls off, the umbilical cord is easy to become a hotbed for bacterial reproduction, so we must do a good job of neonatal umbilical cord care.
Clean everyday
Newborn babies often have secretions in the umbilical fossa. When the secretions are dry, they will adhere to the umbilical fossa and the root of the umbilical cord, which is not easy to clean, and pus may appear in the umbilical fossa. Therefore, we need to clean the umbilical fossa thoroughly.
Method:
One hand gently lifts the ligation line of the umbilical cord, the other hand carefully wipes the umbilical fossa and the root of the umbilical cord with a cotton swab dipped in 75% alcohol, so that the umbilical cord no longer adheres to the umbilical fossa. Subsequently, wipe with a new alcohol cotton swab from the center of the umbilical fossa outward. After cleaning, don’t forget to disinfect the ligation thread with alcohol.
Tips:
Previously, some people advocated topical application of 1% nail violet (purple medicine solution), because nail violet has sterilization and convergence effect, but because nail violet penetration is weak, Sometimes the epidermis is scabby and the abscess is buried underneath., so now we advocate the use of cotton swabs dipped in 75% alcohol.
Keep dry
The umbilical cord that is about to fall off is a necrotic tissue, which can easily infect bacteria. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the dryness of the umbilical cord and the umbilical fossa. Don’t let the diaper cover the umbilical cord, so as not to wet to the umbilical cord wound after urination. If the umbilical cord is wet with water or urine, dry it immediately with a dry cotton ball or a clean, soft gauze, and then disinfect it with an alcohol swab. Before the umbilical cord falls off, do not let the baby bath in the bathtub. You can wash the upper body first, dry it and then wash the lower body. Waterproof umbilical patch should be attached to the umbilical cord of newborn before swimming. After swimming, we should quickly dry the water, keep warm, remove the umbilical cord patch, disinfect the umbilical cord and the umbilical fossa, and then bandage the umbilical cord with disposable umbilical patch.
Avoid friction
When the umbilical cord is not off or just off, avoid the stimulation of clothes and diapers on the baby’s umbilical cord. The upper end of the front of the diaper can be turned down a little to reduce the friction between the diapers and the stump of the umbilical cord.
Abnormal situation
Not falling off for a long time
Usually, the baby’s umbilical cord will gradually become dark and hard and fall off after 1 to 2 weeks. If the baby’s umbilical cord does not fall off after 2 weeks, we should carefully observe the condition of the umbilical cord, as long as there is no sign of infection, and no large amount of fluid from the umbilical fossa, we needn’t worry. In addition, alcohol can be used to wipe the baby’s umbilical fossa to make the umbilical cord stump remains dry and accelerate the umbilical cord stump fall off and the navel healing.
There are exudates in the umbilical cord.
Clear or yellowish viscous fluid often exudes from the remnant of the umbilical cord during healing, which is a normal phenomenon. After the umbilical cord falls off naturally, the umbilical fossa will be a little damp, and there will be a little liquid like rice soup exudate. This is because the surface of the umbilical cord has not fully grown, the liquid in the granulation tissue exuded. We can wipe it with 75% alcohol 1-2 times a day, it will dry 2-3 days later. Gently wiping the stump of umbilical cord with dry gauze can also accelerate the healing of umbilical cord. If the umbilical cord exudates like pus or smell bad, it may be infected, we should take the baby to the hospital.
Umbilical cord is red and swollen
Once the stump of the umbilical cord falls off, the navel forms. In the process of the umbilical cord stump falling off, there is often a slight red around the umbilical cord, which is a normal phenomenon in the process of the umbilical cord stump falling off. Don’t worry. However, if the navel and surrounding skin become very red, and the skin is heating, it is likely that there is an infection of the navel, to see a doctor in time.
Umbilical hernia
Parents need to pay special attention to umbilical hernia when nursing newborns’ umbilical cord, which is a common disease in children.
