Most relationships end at a point; including the one you share with the umbilical cord during pregnancy. Here’s the fact: it’s not you, it’s just normal. After birth, your little one no longer depends on the umbilical cord for gas transport and nutrient supply.
Thankfully, this is an expected sign of growth.
During pregnancy, your little one depends on you for oxygen delivery and nutrient supply. These demands are met by the combined action of the placenta and umbilical cord. In fact, any problem with the umbilical cord during pregnancy may lead to serious complications. Nevertheless, just like the placenta, the umbilical cord becomes non-functional immediately after delivery.
In this article, you’d find all the info you need about the umbilical cord; what happens to it after childbirth, and how to care for it. Furthermore, there’s a note on the signs and symptoms of umbilical cord infections.
The umbilical cord is a connecting tube between the placenta and your baby during pregnancy.
In this period, it functions in the transport of oxygen and delivery of nutrients to your little one. The functions of the umbilical cord also extend to the removal of your baby’s waste products during pregnancy.
After delivery, the umbilical cord becomes unnecessary because your baby will learn how to perform respiratory and excretory functions on his/her own. As a result, your doctors would clamp the umbilical cord as a part of the vaginal delivery process or Cesarean section.
Don’t fret: the process of clamping and cutting the umbilical cord wouldn’t hurt your baby.
This is because the umbilical cord has no nerves, so there’s no pain to you or your baby.
Nevertheless, cutting the umbilical cord would leave a short stump (of about 1 inch) on your baby’s belly. In most cases, this stump falls off within the first three weeks of life.
Initially, the stump would look yellowish and very shiny. However, it would become grey, brown, blue, or purple as it dries out. Eventually, it would wrinkle, turn black, and eventually fall off.
Before the cord eventually falls off on its own, you need to keep the stump clean. For this, pediatricians now advise “dry care” for the stump. This simply means that you should keep the cord as dry as possible and expose it to air to prevent infections.
To help you out, we’ve compiled the following umbilical care tips:
Umbilical cord complications are rare. However, some health conditions are associated with the umbilical cord stump. In fact, improper umbilical cord care may lead to various infections that may be potentially fatal because the cord has a straight passage to the bloodstream.
Some of these complications include:
When this happens, a part of the baby’s intestine protrudes through the abdominal muscles near the umbilical cord. Usually, it is not very serious and resolves on its own by the second year of life. In other instances, it may become more serious requiring urgent medical attention.
This occurs when the area around the stump of the umbilical cord becomes infected. Sometimes, omphalitis can be serious if the infection passes into the bloodstream.
Symptoms of omphalitis include:
Most times when this occurs, your baby may be hospitalized for proper monitoring and treatment. Antibiotics will be needed for treatment.
This happens when a part of the stump remains after all other parts have fallen off. This small, reddish or pinkish lump does not hurt and your baby’s doctor can help to remove it by severing its connection with the body. This is done by tying off this stump remnant or freezing it with liquid nitrogen.
You should consult your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following:
In conclusion, it is really easy to care for your baby’s umbilical cord stump and prevent infections. All you need to do is follow the readymade tips above and you’re good to go.
Your baby is going to grow up strong and healthy!
Tolulope O. Afolaranmi, Zuwaira I. Hassan, Ofakunrin O. Akinyemi, Sarah S. Sule, Matthew U. Malete, Choji Pam Choji and Danjuma A. Bello (2018). Cord Care Practices: A Perspective of Contemporary African Setting. Frontiers Public Health. Accessed on 9th October, 2021 from https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00010
Coffey, P.S. and Brown, S.C. (2017). Umbilical cord-care practices in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 17, 68. Accessed on 9th October, 2021 from https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-017-1250-7
Emma Sacks, William J. Moss, Peter J. Winch, Philip Thuma, Janneke H. van Dijk and Luke C. Mullany (2015). Skin, thermal and umbilical cord care practices for neonates in southern, rural Zambia: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 15, 149. Accessed on 9th October, 2021 from https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-015-0584-2
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