The Mysterious Umbilical Cord & Your Baby

Some moms think its gross, others are obsessed with it – the umbilical cord raises both questions and concerns. Find out more about this very special attachment to your baby.

If your baby has an ‘innie’, and you wanted an ‘outie’ blame your OBGYN. How she cut the umbilical cord made the difference. Or, perhaps it was the care of what was left of the cord that determined the look of your baby’s belly button. Proper care of the leftover stump is essential for more than aesthetic reasons. If the leftover cord is not kept clean it could become infected.

The umbilical cord is the tube which delivers nutrients to the baby and through which waste is expelled. The baby is attached to the mother by the cord and once the baby is delivered it is clamped off and severed. The doctor leaves about an inch protruding from the baby’s stomach. It is mom’s job from this point to keep it protected until it falls off on its own.

When you bring your baby home from the hospital the leftover umbilical cord will be red, or pinkish in color. You will have to keep it clean, but do not manipulate it too much, and refrain from giving your newborn a bath until the cord dries up and falls off. Use soap and water to clean the remnant of cord. Dry the area by dabbing lightly with a wash cloth. You may even wave a dry wash cloth over the area to fan dry. Do not use rubbing alcohol as it dries the cord out too quickly. The cord will fall off prematurely and the base beneath the cord may not be completely healed. This will increase the chance of infection.

An infection may be accompanied by an unpleasant odor or whitish/yellowish pus around the soon to be belly button. Your baby may also exhibit a fever. If you fear your baby has an infection, call the pediatrician immediately. Quick attention will usually result in complete recovery from the infection.

Avoiding infection can be as simple as keeping the baby’s diaper changed. Do not let the baby sit in a dirty diaper. (Of course you wouldn’t do this anyway) Fold the front of the baby’s diaper down in front so it will not rub against the leftover cord.

The cord’s color will become darker as it dries. Finally, it will be very dark, nearly black having dried completely. Do not pull it off. It will fall off on its own.