How to care for a newborn's belly button? When does a newborn's belly button fall off?

Many new mothers will have a lot of discomfort when facing the problem of their children. There are many places that need to be cared for for newborn babies, such as the belly button. How to care for the belly button of a newborn baby? The editor will show you how!

How to care for the newborn's belly button

Clean your belly button every day

There is often secretion in the umbilical fossa of a newborn baby. When the secretion dries, the umbilical fossa and the root of the umbilical cord will adhere to each other, making it difficult to clean. Pus may appear in the umbilical fossa. Therefore, the umbilical fossa should be thoroughly cleaned. The method is: use a cotton swab dipped in 75% alcohol every day, gently lift the ligature of the umbilical cord with one hand, and use the alcohol cotton swab with the other hand to carefully wipe the umbilical fossa and the root of the umbilical cord so that the umbilical cord will no longer adhere to the umbilical fossa. Then, use a new alcohol cotton swab to wipe in circles from the center of the umbilical fossa to the outside.

Note: After cleaning, don't forget to disinfect the ligature with alcohol.

Keep your belly button dry

Before the baby's umbilical cord falls off or just after it falls off, the umbilical cord and the umbilical fossa must be kept dry, because the umbilical cord that is about to fall off is a necrotic tissue and is easily infected with bacteria. Therefore, once the umbilical cord is soaked with water or urine, it should be immediately wiped dry with a dry cotton ball or clean soft gauze, and then disinfected with an alcohol cotton swab. This is really important and should not be ignored.

Note: Before the umbilical cord falls off, do not let the baby soak in the tub. You can wash the upper body first, dry it, and then wash the lower body.

Change and disinfect diapers frequently

At the same time, diapers should be changed and disinfected frequently, and diapers should not be covered on the navel to prevent the growth and reproduction of anaerobic bacteria. To prevent omphalitis, it is best to create a clean, nearly sterile environment for children. It is best for mothers and babies to use antibacterial products, such as bedding, underwear, towels and baby diapers made of antibacterial fabrics.

Note: When the umbilical cord has not fallen off or has just fallen off, avoid irritation of the baby's navel with clothes and diapers. You can turn down the upper end of the diaper to reduce the friction of the diaper on the umbilical cord stump.

If the umbilical cord does not fall off

Generally, the baby's umbilical cord will gradually turn black and harden, and fall off in 1-2 weeks. If the baby's umbilical cord still does not fall off after 2 weeks, you should carefully observe the condition of the umbilical cord. As long as there are no signs of infection, such as no redness, swelling or suppuration, and no large amount of fluid oozing from the umbilical fossa, there is no need to worry.

Recommendation: You can use alcohol to wipe the baby's navel to keep the umbilical cord stump dry, accelerate the shedding of the umbilical cord stump and the healing of the navel.

If the umbilical cord is red

Once the umbilical cord stump falls off, the belly button is formed. During the process of the umbilical cord stump falling off, there will often be slight redness around the belly button. This is a normal phenomenon in the process of the umbilical cord stump falling off, so don't worry.

Note: If the belly button and surrounding skin become very red, and the skin feels hot to the touch, it is likely that the belly button is infected. Take your baby to see a doctor immediately.

How to keep your newborn's belly button dry

Before the baby's umbilical cord falls off or when the umbilical fossa has just fallen off and is not yet dry, you must ensure that the umbilical cord and the umbilical fossa are dry, because the umbilical cord that is about to fall off is a necrotic tissue and is easily infected with bacteria. Therefore, once the umbilical cord is soaked in water or urine, it should be immediately wiped dry with a dry cotton ball or clean soft gauze, and then disinfected with an alcohol cotton swab. Before the umbilical cord falls off, do not let the baby soak in the bathtub. You can wash the upper body first, dry it, and then wash the lower body.

1. Make sure to apply desiccant: Using desiccant will make the navel dry quickly. However, some hospitals will only use alcohol for disinfection.

2. Use gauze to protect the baby's belly button (start from the upper right and then go down, then from the upper left)

(1) Use the cut gauze to wrap around the navel.

(2) Place several layers of gauze around your navel.

(3) Fold the right side of the gauze vertically.

(4) The gauze on the other side is also folded lengthwise.

(5) Fold the top and bottom of the gauze.

(6) Secure with adhesive tape. Apply it to a different location each time.

When does a newborn's belly button fall off?

The first thing to do when a baby is born is to cut the umbilical cord to form a wound. Many new mothers do not understand and are curious about when the baby's belly button falls off and how it is considered to fall off.

Under normal circumstances, the umbilical cord naturally shrivels up 24 to 48 hours after birth, starts to fall off in 3 to 4 days, and heals on its own in 10 to 15 days. If the baby's umbilical cord remains turn dry and black, it means that the umbilical cord is about to fall off. You can use a slightly higher concentration of alcohol (95%) to gently scrub the "dry black" area, which will help the umbilical cord fall off as soon as possible. When the umbilical cord stump falls off, you may find a little blood on the diaper or diaper, which is normal. But some mothers will find that their baby's belly button has not fallen off after two weeks, and some mothers even report that it has been a month and it has not fallen off. They are very anxious and don't know what to do. What's the matter with the baby's belly button not falling off? If the newborn's belly button does not fall off for a long time, the possible reason is that the baby's belly button is infected. Mothers can observe whether the baby's belly button has symptoms of redness, swelling, and wetness. If so, it may be infected and inflamed.

What to do if the baby's belly button does not fall off

Anti-inflammation. Since it is inflamed, you need to treat the baby's navel and keep the navel dry and fresh. If it is not dry, it will affect the speed of shedding. The anti-inflammatory method is to use a 75% disinfectant alcohol cotton swab to disinfect around the root of the umbilical cord, wipe off all the secretions and blood, 1 to 2 times a day to keep the root of the navel clean. If purulent secretions are found at the root of the navel and the navel is locally red, it means that omphalitis has occurred and you should go to the hospital for treatment. If the navel of a newborn is well cared for, it will fall off at a normal speed. However, if it does not fall off for a long time, mothers should observe the cause in time and solve it well to help the baby's navel fall off early and reduce the chance of bacteria entering the body.

"No. 5 Parenting" (:yuer5h)