4 simple ways to help you take care of your newborn umbilical cord

After your baby is born, part of the umbilical cord remains in your baby's abdomen. At this point, you need to take care of the newborn umbilical cord carefully and let the cord fall off on its own after 1-2 weeks.

When the baby is still in the womb, the umbilical cord plays an important role in helping to transport essential nutrients from mother to baby. Thanks to that, the baby grows each day. By the time the baby is born, the umbilical cord no longer needs to maintain its function and will be removed by a doctor. From a long umbilical cord, now only a small portion remains. At this point, it is most important that you take care of your baby's umbilical cord carefully to avoid infection. So how to take care of the baby's umbilical cord? Please refer to the following article of  aFamilyToday Health .

1. Clean the baby's navel area

After the baby is born, the umbilical cord will be clamped to keep the umbilical cord clean. If the cord is exposed or falls off, you must pay attention to cleaning the baby's navel area at least once a day. Use a soft, soft cloth to gently wipe your baby's navel area.

2. Be careful when bathing your baby

Many people believe that you should only wipe yourself, not bathe your baby until the umbilical cord falls off. However, bathing your baby is not harmful, as long as you keep the stump dry and avoid water contact. If the cord gets wet, dry it with a soft cloth. Sometimes, a baby's umbilical cord can become dirty if the baby has a bowel movement. Gently clean with water, rinse with saline and dry.

3. Be careful when dressing your baby

The belly button is the part that you must pay close attention to, but it also gives you a lot of trouble dressing for your baby.

Wrap the diaper below the navel, keeping the base of the umbilical cord dry. When exposed to air, the umbilical cord will dry quickly.

Take care to take care of the navel area when dressing and keep the belly button open as much as possible.

4. Let the umbilical cord fall naturally

If it has been a while and the umbilical cord has not fallen, don't worry too much. Sometimes, the umbilical cord will fall out quite late. In this case, you should still wait for the cord to fall off naturally, not over it. If there are abnormal signs at the umbilical cord position such as bleeding, yellow discharge, you should bring your baby to the doctor for examination and advice properly.

After the umbilical cord falls off, you should see your baby's navel. Sometimes, the umbilical cord may become a rash, possibly even bleeding. Don't worry, this is normal and the navel should heal within 2 weeks.

Symptoms of umbilical cord infection

If not cared for properly, the cord is susceptible to infection. If you notice that your baby has the following symptoms, take him or her to the hospital immediately:

Baby has a fever

The umbilical cord has a bad smell or the umbilical cord is draining pus

The skin around the navel is red and soft

Your baby cries when you lightly touch the navel

The cord is swollen and bleeding.

It is important to understand some of the diseases that you may encounter when caring for a newborn baby umbilical cord. That way, you will know how to handle it if you fall into these situations.