Hi! In this video I'm going to be teaching you how to care for your baby's umbilical cord stump
after they're born :) If you're new here "Welcome to my channel!" My name's Anja and I'm a hypnobirthing
practitioner. My YouTube channel is here to support you on your motherhood journey, so please consider
subscribing and clicking the bell icon so you don't miss my weekly videos, I bring out a new
one every single Tuesday. After your baby's been born, their umbilical cord will be clamped and cut
to separate them from the placenta. A clamp will remain at the end of your newborn's cord stump
until it's dried out - it's usually fully dry two to three days after birth and your midwife or
doctor can remove the clamp for you. Initially, the cord stump will look white and a little bit shiny
but as it dries out it can turn brown, grey or even go black and all of this is perfectly normal.
Usually no problems will develop so long as you keep that area dry and clean, The umbilical cord
stump will usually fall off one to three weeks after birth. In the meantime, please don't pick
at it or try to pull it off before it's ready to detach naturally. To help look after your
baby's umbilical cord stump and navel area, prevent infection and avoid any accidental
snagging or tearing, you need to be mindful of a few main things which I'll share with you now.
My first tip is to fold the top part of your baby's nappy or diaper
down and in on itself so that it isn't rubbing on your baby's umbilical cord.
This ensures that it's sitting comfortably underneath your baby's belly button.
My second tip is to make sure that any clothing that your baby's wearing
is not pressing on their belly button area so avoid dressing your baby in any trousers
or shorts and stick to baby grows instead.
So long as your baby is warm enough, it's a good idea to let air get to the cord
stump area each day because fresh air helps with the healing process.
Once a day you can gently clean around your baby's belly button area. All you would have to do is put
a little bit of warm water on a cotton swab, a cotton pad or a cotton ball then slowly clean
around your baby's navel. Just make sure that you don't get the umbilical cord stump wet.
If your baby has a bit of a poop explosion and some of the poop rises above the level of
the nappy and spreads onto your baby's stomach area- you can do an extra clean with some warm
water around your baby's belly button to prevent any bacteria from entering the navel.
It's recommended that you avoid placing your baby in a bathtub of water until their umbilical cord
stump has completely fallen off and their belly button area has completely healed.
You can, however, give your baby a sponge bath and clean their hair, face, neck and bottom area
if they've got grubby from feeding or pooping. If your baby's cord gets accidentally wet, don't
worry about this, all you need to do is gently dab that area with a dry washcloth or muslin.
Infection to your baby's belly button is usually preventable so long as you follow
all of the tips that I just mentioned. However, if you notice that your baby's navel area looks red,
inflamed or is oozing a yellow or green discharge (which could be smelly) contact your doctor straight
away. They'll probably want to see your baby and possibly prescribe them some antibiotics.
If you notice that your baby's navel area is bleeding, apply some mild pressure to the
bleeding with some sterile medical gauze and then consult your maternity care provider for further
advice. I hope you found this video useful and informative :) If you've got any questions about
umbilical cord care, please leave me a message in the comments section beneath this video and I'll
get back to you as soon as I possibly can. If you're watching this video and you're pregnant you
may be interested in signing up to my next free hypnobirthing taster session on zoom. I run two
every single month and you can enroll in the next one by clicking the link to my
website in the video description below. Take care and see you in my next video!