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Umbilical cord care: Do's and don'ts for parents
A newborn's umbilical cord stump typically falls off within about two weeks after birth. In the meantime, treat your baby's umbilical cord stump gently.
By Mayo Clinic staffWonder how to care for your newborn's umbilical cord stump? 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 any discomfort 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/index. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
- The newborn infant. In: Cunningham FG, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 23rd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=46. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.


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