When babies are in the
womb, they receive nourishment and oxygen through the
placenta which is connected to the inner wall of the
mother’s uterus. The placenta is connected to
your baby by the umbilical cord through a opening in
your baby’s tummy. After your baby is born, this
umbilical cord is clamped and cut close to the body
in a painless procedure, leaving behind an umbilical
stump which becomes what we call our tummy button.
Many first time mothers are a bit wary of this stump
in their newborn baby. This stump dries, heals and
within 1 to 3 weeks falls off. During the time the
stump is healing, it should be kept as clean and as
dry as possible. So in order to keep it dry, sponge
bath your baby but if the stump does become wet or
soggy, you can carefully dry it with a clean, absorbent
cloth or use a hair dryer on a warm setting. Of course
you have to be very careful not to burn the baby’s
skin. If the stump becomes dirty or sticky, wash it
with soap and water. Exposing the stump to air helps
to dry out the base. Keep the front of your baby’s
diaper folded down to avoid covering the stump. Change
wet or soiled diapers quickly to prevent any irritation.
Occasionally, there can be problems with the umbilical
cord and you should watch for possible infection or
active bleeding. It is normal to see a little crust
or dried blood near the stump. An infection can spread
quickly and the signs of this would be a foul-smelling,
yellow drainage from the cord, redness and tenderness
of the skin surrounding the cord or a fever in your
baby. Active bleeding could occur if the cord is pulled
off prematurely. Always resist that temptation and
allow the cord to fall off naturally, even if it is
hanging only by just a thread. Should there be such
active bleeding, contact your doctor immediately.
Active bleeding is when every time you wipe away a
drop of blood, another drop appears in its place.
When to clamp and cut the umbilical cord has been
a controversial issue in medical circles for decades.
The norm in the US is to clamp and cut the cord within
the first 5 to 10 seconds after birth. But a new Canadian
study at McMaster University in Hamilton says that
putting off clamping for a minimum of 2 minutes in
full term newborn babies reduces by half the risk
of anemia and boosts iron stores in infants for as
long as six months. Others believe delaying clamping
allows too much blood to flow to the baby, overloading
its blood volume and increasing the risk of respiratory
distress or jaundice. In addition, early clamping
is seen by some as a way to help prevent postpartum
hemorrhage in mothers.
You might like to investigate donating your baby’s
umbilical cord as this could give hope to a patient
with leukemia, aplastic anemia or other blood diseases.
The blood within the umbilical cord, known as cord
blood, is a rich and readily available source of primitive,
undifferentiated stem cells. It is also possible to
store your baby’s cord blood at a cord blood
bank for the possible future illness such as leukemia
in your child. This practice is very costly and still
somewhat controversial.
