The umbilical cord stump of a baby may look a bit daunting, particularly, if you don’t know what to
expect. Is the color normal? Is it supposed to be smelly? Can I touch it? And most importantly:
How should I clean it? Right! So, in this video, we are going to discuss what to expect and what’s normal
when it comes to your baby’s cord stump. Moreover, we are gonna share with you the best way to take
care of the cord. And we are also gonna explain why the first 24 hours after your baby was born
play a crucial role in avoiding an infection of the baby’s cord. Yes. And then finally, we also want
to make you aware of 3 medical problems related to your baby’s cord stump and how to detect them.
This is Nathalie, a pregnancy and birth consultant and TCM therapist,
and that’s Mathias a researcher and science geek and on this channel, we help mommies and their
babies naturally and science-based! So, let’s talk about your baby’s umbilical cord stump.
As long as your baby is in your womb, the umbilical cord supplies oxygen and nutrients
from your placenta to your baby. To connect the baby with the placenta, the cord passes through
an opening in the baby’s abdominal wall which consists of several layers of connective tissue,
abdominal muscles and other things. Right! But after your baby was born, that cord is obviously no longer
needed because your baby can eat and breathe on their own, right? And so, the midwife is going to clamp
the cord in two places and then cut it between the 2 clamps, leaving a short stump behind.
And just that you know: the cord does not contain any nerves which is why it won’t hurt when the
cord is cut. Right! In any case, 2 things are now going to happen: First, the stump is going to
fall off. This usually happens some time during the first 3 weeks after birth, normally leaving
nothing but a sweet little belly button behind. Right! And then second, normally, that opening in your baby’s
abdominal wall is going to close which means that the abdominal muscles just seal the opening.
And we are going to see at the end of this video what could happen if the opening does not close.
Now. Initially, as long as your baby’s cord stump has not fallen off yet, it is really important to take
care of it as good as you possibly can. And the main reason why this is so important is,
because we want to avoid that the cord gets infected since an infection can have serious
consequences for the baby. Right! But what most people don’t know is, that process of preventing an
infection starts right after your baby was born. So, let us show you what we mean by that!
Traditionally, lots of different substances have been proposed to take care of the stump
after the cord is cut. Examples include alcohol, human milk, plant extracts, olive oil,
antibiotics or antiseptics and many more. The intention behind those substances has been
to prevent bacteria from spreading in the area of the stump because bacteria can cause an
infection. Yes. However, research has shown that not all bacteria which colonize around the stump
are bad bacteria in the sense that they cause an infection, right? Most importantly,
it was found that during the first 24 hours after birth, the stump is colonized by bacteria from
the mother’s skin flora IF the baby is in close contact with the mother during the first 24 hours
after birth. Right! That’s important because first of all, according to the World Health Organization,
a newborn baby does not begin to develop their own protective flora during the first 24 hours after
birth. Yes. And second, these “good bacteria” from the mother’s skin flora may protect the baby’s
stump from bad bacteria. For example, according to research from the World Health Organization,
you are going to find significantly less “bad bacteria” and infections in babies
who are kept close to their mother during the first 24 hours after birth, compared to babies
who are kept in nurseries. And so, obviously, we don’t want to destroy these good bacteria
by applying alcohol for instance. Right. So, the first step in preventing an
infection of the umbilical cord stump of your baby is really the skin-to-skin contact between
you and your baby over the first 24 hours after your baby was born. The second step is
early and frequent breastfeeding… given that breastfeeding is an option, of course. According
to research from the World Health Organization, early and frequent breastfeeding will provide the
newborn baby with maternal antibodies. Together with the bacteria from the mother’s skin flora,
these antibodies will help fight off infections coming from any “bad bacteria” on the baby’s
cord stump. Right. And then the third step of preventing an infection of the cord stump
is daily cleaning. Now, we have already heard that applying any substances is not the best way
to take care of the stump because it may not help fight off bad bacteria, right? But there is also another
reason why you should not apply any substances at all. Scientific research has found that letting
the stump dry out is actually the fastest way to get rid of the stump. To be precise, scientists
have found that the time until the cord falls off is significantly shorter in case of a simple
“clean and dry approach” compared to when you use any substances, including things like olive oil,
human milk and alcohol. Right. And just that you know: “dry cord care” is also what both, the
American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists recommend
because keeping the area clean and dry is really the best way to avoid an infection. Yes. So, now,
the next question is: how do you actually take care of your baby’s stump on a daily basis?
First of all, let the stump dry off! In order to do that, expose the stump to air whenever
possible. Second, clean the stump with warm water only. Ideally, you do this on a daily basis,
but at least every other day and in particular, when the cord is soiled, right? When you do clean
the stump, please wash your hands first before touching it. And then just use a cotton
swab, or a cotton pad and warm water to clean the area. Afterwards, let it dry. Yes and by the way,
as long as the stump has not fallen off yet, it is best to stick with a sponge bath because it allows
you to avoid washing the area around the stump. But just that you know: the cord can get wet, it
won’t do any harm, okay? So, your baby could also have a bath even before the cord comes off. However,
obviously, it is much easier to keep the area dry if you clean the stump the way we showed
you before, instead of letting the stump soak in water. That's right. Third, in order to keep the cord dry
and clean, keep the front of your baby’s diaper down so that the stump is not covered. Yes and fourth,
avoid clothes that are too tight! Of course, it is okay to pull clothes over the stump.
After all, you have to keep your baby warm, right? Just make sure that the clothes are not too tight, okay?
Yes. Now, as time goes by, you are gonna notice that the color of the stump changes. In fact,
over the first couple of days, the stump is going to turn black and appear dry and hard.
But don't worry, that’s normal! Remember we want it to dry out so that it falls off all by itself.
And we cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you do not try to speed up the process, for example,
by pulling or cutting the cord. You would do more harm than good, right? Just, let it dry off naturally.
And then once the cord stump fell off, it could be that you are going to see some dark red or
brownish blood or a clear or yellowish sticky fluid. This is totally normal too as long as the belly
button is not actively bleeding, okay? But if you are having any doubts, please call your provider.
It’s always better to be on the safe side, right? Now, the final question is: what if things are not
normal? For example, what if your baby’s cord stump is red or smelly, or oozes pus? So,
let’s have a look at the 3 most common medical problems in regard to a baby’s cord stump.
So, first of all, obviously, it could be that the cord stump gets infected which is exactly what we
are trying to prevent in the first place, right? However, sometimes a baby may just be unexpectedly exposed
to bacteria which can increase the chances of an infection. Luckily though, as long as you follow
our approach of taking care of your baby’s cord stump, then an infection does not happen very
often, right? Nevertheless, it is really important that you closely monitor your baby’s stump
because an infection of the cord can be life threatening to your baby, okay?
So, if the skin at the base of the stump turns red or seems inflamed, if the area bleeds,
if the cord oozes pus, if your baby develops a fever and most importantly, if there is
a foul smell, then you should call your baby’s doctor. These can all be signs of an infection.
That said, please note that the very act of the cord separating from the baby’s body itself
can be accompanied by small amounts of sticky fluid which may remind of mucus in its appearance, right?
This is something which can easily be confused with pus. But it’s not necessarily a reason to
worry. Still, we do recommend talking to your doctor if you see such a sticky fluid
because for the untrained eye it is really very difficult to distinguish that sticky fluid from pus.
That’s right. The second complication is called umbilical granuloma. Sometimes, a small, reddened
mass of tissue forms in the belly button after the umbilical cord has fallen off.
This umbilical granuloma very much looks like a little red lump, and it might drain a light yellowish
or clear discharge. The good news is though that this condition does not cause the baby any pain
and it usually goes away within a week or so. However, the risk here is that it could become
infected which is why ideally, a doctor has a closer look. Luckily, if the doctor finds
that it is indeed an umbilical granuloma and if it is not infected, then there is a very
simple treatment to get rid of the problem. Your doctor will show you exactly what you need to do.
So, if you do spot something that looks like umbilical granuloma, please let a doctor have a
look at it. Right. And then the third complication is called umbilical hernia. As mentioned at the
beginning, as long as your baby is in your womb, the umbilical cord passes through an opening in
the baby’s abdominal wall. And then after birth, the abdominal muscles of the baby normally seal
that opening completely. Unfortunately though, in some cases, that opening does not close properly,
leaving a weak spot in the abdominal wall which is called “umbilical hernia”.
And in very rare cases, it could be that some internal part of the body, like for example the intestines,
pop out into a hernia sac. This can either be through the navel or just close to the navel and
it may get bigger when your baby cries or coughs or strains and smaller when your baby relaxes.
Now, umbilical hernia may look like a terrible disease but it’s actually not uncommon in infants
and in particular in premature babies. The good news is: it is normally not a painful condition
and it many cases the opening in the abdominal wall will disappear within the first year.
Yes. However, it could also last longer. In fact, the American Association of Pediatrics reports
that about 90% of umbilical hernias close on their own by the time the child is 4 years old.
Unfortunately, if it does not disappear by itself, surgery is really the only way to fix umbilical
hernias. We know that many people on the internet claim that binders can help fix umbilical hernias.
But you see, even if a binder can help push the hernia sac back through the abdominal wall,
it does not solve the underlying problem. And that underlying problem is that there is an opening in
your baby’s abdominal wall which is not completely sealed by the muscles. Right! So, in brief, either you
wait for the problem to disappear by itself which is a safe approach according to the American
Association of Pediatrics, since umbilical hernias normally do not cause any problems.
Or you go for surgery. In any case, normally, neither umbilical hernia nor granuloma cause
any troubles but it’s good to have a doctor have a closer look at it, right? What you should be wary of though,
is an infection of the cord because it is life threatening to your baby. However,
you can considerably decrease the risk of an infection if you follow our tips that we
shared with you in this video. Right! We really hope that you found our video helpful! If you did,
we would be super grateful if you could leave us a like! Yes! And for more useful tips and tools
on pregnancy and baby-related topics make sure to subscribe to our channel and to hit the bell!