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Umbilical cord care: Do's and don'ts for parents
Wonder how to care for your newborn's umbilical cord stump? Simply keep the stump clean and dry — and report any signs of infection to your baby's doctor.
By Mayo Clinic staffYou can describe most bellybuttons as little nubs or crinkly indentations — but not at first. Your baby's bellybutton starts out as an umbilical cord stump about an inch long. Until the stump dries out and falls off, keep it clean and dry.
Why your baby has an umbilical cord stump
During pregnancy, the umbilical cord supplies nutrients and oxygen to your developing baby. After birth, the umbilical cord is no longer needed — so it's clamped and snipped. This leaves behind a short stump. The umbilical cord doesn't contain pain-sensitive nerve fibers, so your baby won't feel anything during this rite of passage.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Sullivan CK, et al. Healthy newborn discharge. In: McInerny TK, et al. American Academy of Pediatrics Textbook of Pediatric Care. Elk Grove Village, Ill.: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2009:840.
- Palazzi DL, et al. Care of the umbilicus and management of umbilical disorders. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 15, 2009.
- The newborn infant. In: Cunningham FG, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 22nd ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=727502&searchStr=umbilical+cord#727502. Accessed Oct. 15, 2009.
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