While in the mother's womb, the child is connected to her by the umbilical cord, like a rope. In the medical literature, it is sometimes given the definition of “cord-like formation.” Through the umbilical cord, the fetus receives oxygen and nutrients. When the baby is born, it is cut off, leaving only part of the “cord”. After some time it dries out and then disappears completely. Every young mother knows that this area of the body should receive careful care.
But often young parents have questions about whether the umbilical cord causes discomfort in the newborn, when it falls off and how to handle it. There's no need to worry. If you care for her properly, the baby will not be in any danger at all.
General information
The return of a young mother and baby from the maternity hospital is a responsible and very important period.
After all, now all responsibility for the growth, development and health of a little person rests entirely with his mother and all relatives. Very often, one of the most confusing aspects is belly button care. The need for this can even cause panic among inexperienced parents. However, in reality there is nothing complicated about it. After all, you can master the basics of this matter under the guidance of a visiting pediatrician. Even in the maternity hospital, mothers ask the doctor how long it takes for a newborn’s belly button to heal. The answer to the question of how long it takes for an umbilical wound is rather individual. In most cases, this occurs in the third week of a child's life. But sometimes this process can take a little longer. Therefore, parents should clearly know how to understand that the navel has healed.
What antiseptics can be used
There is no need to look for something supernatural for quick healing, dear parents. To treat the umbilical wound, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and brilliant green is enough.
Remember.
A solution of hydrogen peroxide is necessary for treating the umbilical wound.
Remember, dear parents, how many days your newborn’s belly button will take to heal depends on how properly you take care of the umbilical wound. If you notice even the slightest change in the appearance of your navel, consult a specialist immediately. I think my article has clarified the questions that interest you, now a small navel will not be so scary and shocking.
Is handling a newborn's belly button a concern? Information from the article will help a young mother to be more confident in herself.
Treating the umbilical wound is the first mandatory procedure that a young mother must learn to perform while still in the maternity hospital. For some women, it causes fear and uncertainty, because the newborn is still so small and fragile.
There is no need to panic and get lost; usually, there is nothing difficult in manipulating the navel. If it happens that the umbilical wound begins to bleed or become wet, together with the pediatrician it will definitely be possible to solve this emergency situation.
What you need to know about the navel
In the womb, through the umbilical cord, the baby receives the nutrients it needs, as well as oxygen. In addition, metabolic . When a baby is born, this connection between his and his mother’s body is cut. A Rogovin bracket is applied to the remainder of the umbilical cord .
However, even if the navel is not bandaged after birth, bleeding will not occur. The umbilical ring contains two arteries and a vein. After cutting, the arteries gape due to the denser structure of the wall, and the vein collapses. However, this does not mean that bacteria cannot enter the resulting wound. To prevent this, in the maternity hospital the umbilical remnant is bandaged and carefully processed.
And when the remainder of the umbilical cord falls off, which happens after about 4-5 days, you need to continue to carefully treat the wound. There is no need to panic about the fact that “the residue has fallen off, what should I do?”, because if handled correctly, everything will be fine.
If the belly button does not fall off, you need to wait a few more days. Sometimes this does not happen in the maternity hospital, and this means that it will disappear in 7-10 days at home. After the navel falls off, you need to treat the umbilical wound very carefully, doing this in three stages.
Initially, using a sterile cotton swab, you need to treat the wound on all sides with hydrogen peroxide . It is best to take hydrogen peroxide at 3% concentration.
To prevent infection, it is necessary to lubricate the wound with 96% alcohol . The remaining stump should be dried and carefully lubricated with potassium permanganate 5% .
Umbilical cord tying and falling off
During intrauterine life, the umbilical cord is the main source of nutrition for the baby. Soon after birth, blood flow through it stops, and the body begins to function independently.
The umbilical cord is cut off immediately after the baby is born, or a few minutes after the pulsation stops. It is clamped with a clamp and cut with sterile scissors. After which, at a short distance from the umbilical ring, it is tied with a silk thread or clamped with a special bracket.
The remaining umbilical cord can be surgically removed after a couple of days. They can also leave it untouched, leaving it to dry out and fall off on its own - this happens within 3-6 days. In both the first and second cases, a wound surface remains that requires care.
Treatment of a newborn's navel at home
With normal development of the baby, healing of the umbilical wound occurs in the 3rd week - during this period it epithelializes. The local nurse or pediatrician will explain to the woman how to treat the navel of a newborn until it heals. This procedure must be carried out as it happens in a maternity hospital. For a mother who needs to know exactly how to properly treat a newborn’s navel, it is important to note that this should be done every day after bathing. First, mom needs to wash her hands thoroughly with soap.
It is also important to know how to treat a newborn’s navel. Hydrogen peroxide , 96% alcohol , 2% brilliant green solution or chlorophyllipt are used for these purposes . But it is not recommended to use a solution of potassium permanganate for these purposes, since preparing a solution of the correct concentration of their powder is not easy, and, moreover, if the crystal accidentally ends up on a child’s skin, it can cause a burn .
Initially, you need to soften the crust with a cotton swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide. If the peroxide does not begin to foam, this means that the navel has healed.
During the healing process, crusts will gradually fall off and must be removed very carefully. Do not peel off the crusts using force.
When treating the navel, special attention should be paid to the base of the umbilical cord. It is wiped very thoroughly each time to remove all wet secretions. This is most conveniently done with a cotton swab. This can speed up the drying and healing process.
How many times per day?
This procedure should be carried out once a day.
If the navel is not healing well, regular “airing” will help speed up this process, for which you need to open the tummy more often. When using diapers, you need to bend the waistband down so that the wound remains open. There is no need to touch the wound unless necessary.
Possible complications
Redness and suppuration are signs of infection of the umbilical wound
Improper hygiene and unsanitary conditions can easily cause infection. The umbilical wound after the umbilical cord falls off easily becomes infected with bacteria. This causes bleeding and suppuration.
- The wound is too wide. If the umbilical cord was large in diameter, after its removal the appendix will scar longer than usual, bleed, and become inflamed. To ensure faster healing, treatment with hydrogen peroxide is necessary up to three times a day.
- Trauma to the skin of the navel. It happens that the diaper was put on correctly, but no clothing was provided; it stuck to the skin of the navel. If it is accidentally torn off, bleeding begins. In such cases, the damaged area should be treated as soon as possible.
- Protrusion of the umbilical remnant. This phenomenon occurs with a hernia. This is facilitated by prolonged crying of the child, constipation and other problems that cause tension in the abdominal cavity.
- Infection. It happens when the baby is mishandled and sanitary standards and recommendations are not followed. Streptococci and staphylococci freely penetrate into a wound that has not yet healed, and the wound begins to fester.
- Granuloma (granulation). The baby begins to actively grow blood vessels and tissues. The capillaries in the navel area form a ball. To get rid of the symptoms, cauterization is performed with a special pencil or silver rod.
If the wound discharges bloody contents, constantly gets wet and pus forms, you need to contact a neonatologist or pediatrician so that he can identify the cause of this phenomenon.
What to do if a newborn’s belly button bleeds?
Parents who don’t know what to do if blood appears on the umbilical wound, first need to figure out why the newborn’s belly button is bleeding.
Sometimes the reasons for this phenomenon are simple and understandable. The umbilical wound bleeds if trauma when the child was swaddled, wiped or bathed. You should put on the diaper very carefully until the wound is completely healed. Some mothers are too active in cleaning the wound from crusts, thereby causing injury.
The navel may bleed due to the formation of an umbilical granuloma ( fungus ). If the umbilical cord was thick, after cutting it, a wide umbilical ring remains, and it takes a long time to heal. As a result, granulation increases, and the navel resembles a mushroom in its shape. This formation is painful, and even when swaddling, catching it can cause pain. And even after minor injury, the umbilical wound in this case begins to bleed.
If blood appears from the umbilical wound, you should proceed as follows:
- If the blood appears as a result of careless handling of the wound, you need to drop a few drops of hydrogen peroxide on the umbilical wound.
- There is no need to place the baby on his stomach.
- Air access to the navel should be ensured.
- During the period when the umbilical wound is bleeding, you cannot bathe the baby. You need to wait until the navel stops bleeding completely and a crust appears on it.
But it is best to consult a doctor and show him the baby, provided that blood is flowing from the wound.
It is especially important to immediately show the child to a pediatrician if his umbilical wound is not only bleeding, but also his general condition has worsened. In such a situation, it is better to urgently go to the hospital or call an ambulance.
What does a fully healed belly button look like?
A healthy navel in a baby heals completely (the process begins to fall off) and takes on a rounded shape. The duration of the stump falling off is 1-2 weeks, after which the process begins to deepen into the skin. If a baby tenses his tummy and his navel does not rise, it means he has a fairly strong umbilical ring. Healing may end unexpectedly.
If all measures are taken, after 1.5 months the child will have a completely formed umbilical scar.
What to do if a newborn’s navel festers?
If the navel of a newborn does not heal for a long time, you need to pay special attention to this. When the so-called weeping navel is noted, this indicates the first stage of omphalitis - an inflammatory process of the umbilical wound. During this period, the navel does not yet fester, but a light-colored serous discharge appears from the wound, and the skin around it turns a little red. However, the baby feels fine.
In such a situation, local treatment is practiced - you must first disinfect the navel with hydrogen peroxide, and then treat it with brilliant green. This procedure should be repeated 3-4 times a day.
In some cases, the additional use of ultraviolet irradiation . If a newborn's navel becomes wet, the use of ointments or powders containing antibiotics . Treatment of a weeping navel in a newborn involves the use of Baneocin , ointments containing bacitracin and polymyxin .
Provided that the inflammation was not stopped in a timely manner, pus . In such a situation, the umbilical ring turns red and swelling appears. Gradually, the navel turns outward, the skin on it and nearby becomes hot and red. With omphalitis, the body temperature rises, the child is capricious, reluctant to take the breast, and becomes lethargic.
In this case, it is very important to consult a doctor immediately and ensure proper treatment. Otherwise, the pus will begin to spread into the subcutaneous tissue and spread to other organs, which can subsequently lead to the development of sepsis .
Features of treatment
Such babies undergo treatment in inpatient neonatal pathology departments. They must be prescribed antibacterial treatment.
If the baby's temperature is very high and there are signs of severe intoxication , the baby may be given the necessary medications intravenously.
Sometimes, after culture for sterility, the presence of staphylococcus in the umbilical wound is determined. In this case, anti-staphylococcal immunoglobulin .
It is necessary to treat the inflamed area with antiseptic agents , doing this several times a day.
Provided that the body temperature has stabilized, physiotherapy , namely microwave.
conclusions
Thus, you need to be very careful with the wound until the navel heals.
Parents should not make extra efforts to speed up the healing process. Let everything happen by itself.
It is also important to remember that babies’ belly buttons are very different. In some children they are deep, in others they are protruding. You should not practice any actions to change the shape, as such actions can provoke irritation and inflammation.
In general, caring for an umbilical wound is not difficult, the main thing is to strictly follow all the recommendations and not rush things.
What is important to know when observing the navel
Young parents are too zealous with hygiene procedures. It is enough to follow just a few basic recommendations.
- The diaper should not cover the newborn's navel, otherwise the wound will always remain wet.
- You need to change the diaper as it gets full. Otherwise, bacteria from the diaper may penetrate into the umbilical wound that has not yet healed.
- Clear fluid may periodically discharge from the navel. If this happens infrequently and the wound does not smell unpleasant, this is normal.
