The care of the umbilical cord

Immediately after the birth of your baby, the midwife (or your obstetrician) clamped two clamps on the umbilical cord.

He then cut the cord between the two clamps – unless it was your companion who did it!
Another clamp is placed at the base of the umbilicus.

This clip will normally be removed at the maternity, 1 or 2 days after the birth of your baby.

The cord will fall between 5 and 15 days after the birth of your child, and the umbilicus will take a few more days to heal.

Cleaning and disinfecting the cord is a gesture that you will need to perform several times a day.

How to clean and disinfect the umbilical cord?

• You need:
– Sterile compresses.
– An antiseptic.
– A hydro-alcoholic solution to disinfect your hands before you care for your baby.

In practice:
– You disinfect your hands.
– You Moisten a sterile compress (folded in two, and formed in a buffer, it is more practical) with the antiseptic solution recommended by your consultant.

Between two fingers, you stretch the space around the cord, and you gently clean the small deposits that have formed around the cord.

Taking another compress, you also clean the cord.
Take as many compresses as necessary, the operation is complete when the compress is clean.

Over time, the cord will dry out.
Then there are several methods:

• You wrap the cord in a compress, and then you put your baby’s diaper back, folding it so that it does not come with the cord.

• Either leave the cord in the open air.
You then dress your baby normally.
The frequency of cord care:

You can do this twice a day, one of them after the bath for example.
But also when the “content” of the layer has gone up to the future navel.

Your baby’s reaction:

Certainly, this is not the time that your baby prefers to his day. His reaction can be lively.
But it’s a discomfort reaction, not a pain reaction, in effect, it’s not an innervated area, and the products you’ve been advised do not bite.
Once the cord has fallen, scarring the cord will fall between 5 and 15 days after the birth of your baby.
Next, comes healing which, too, will take a few days.
During healing, you will continue the care you have done so far, without having to cover the umbilicus with a compress.
During healing, you may notice some bleeding, this is not a worrying sign.

• On the other hand, you should consult your doctor if:

– Bleeding persists beyond a few days after the umbilical cord falls.
– If you notice a bad odor.
– If you notice that the umbilicus is red and swollen, that it oozes slightly. In this case, your doctor will apply a drying substance based on silver nitrate.