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How do I look after my baby's belly button?.
A
After birth, the umbilical
cord is cut and clamped and this often leaves a small stump. This stump stays
in place from anything from 5-21 days. After a few days you may notice that the
stump starts to go black, this is normal. Eventually the umbilical stump will
just fall off; you do not have to force or pull the stump to remove it. Sometimes
the stump can be found in your baby’s nappy or just comes off when your
cleaning the area, so don’t be alarmed, just dispose of it in your baby’s
nappy.
A few tips:
- Always wash your hands
before and after touching your baby’s umbilical stump.
- Try to keep the stump
of the umbilical cord clean and dry until it falls off.
- The current guidelines
are to clean the cord with just water and then dry.
- We suggest doing this
at each nappy change, especially if urine has come into contact with the stump.
This will help to prevent infection.
- It may be helpful to
keep your baby’s nappy folded below the navel area. This will stop the
nappy rubbing on the stump, becoming sweaty or being soaked with urine.
- You may notice a blood
stained discharge or blood that has dried off around the stump when you go
to clean the umbilical stump this is quite normal
- However, if you do notice
redness or swelling around the stump, pus or a bad smell coming from the area,
the umbilical stump may have become infected, so make sure you see your GP
as possible
health visitor
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