How to deal with inflammation and pus discharge in newborn baby's navel

If the umbilical cord of a newborn falls off late, it is easy for bacteria to grow, causing infection, pus discharge, inflammation and other symptoms in the child's navel. If not treated in time, it is easy to cause abscess necrosis and even sepsis. Therefore, if the child has navel inflammation and pus discharge, anti-inflammatory treatment should be carried out in time, and disinfection and cleaning should be done well.

The first step: timely anti-inflammatory and sterilization

For mild cases, clean the navel with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and then apply 75% alcohol, three times a day. Patients with umbilical suppuration, cellulitis or systemic symptoms can use penicillin, neopenicillin II, ampicillin, oxypiperazine penicillin and other drugs; incision can be made to drain the pus. Granuloma formation can be cauterized with 10% silver nitrate solution, then applied with ointment, with the dressing changed daily until healing. If the granuloma is large, it can be removed surgically.

The second trick: wait patiently for the umbilical cord stump to fall off naturally.

Generally, the baby's umbilical cord will gradually turn black and harden. The umbilical cord stump will naturally shrink within 1 to 2 days and fall off within 1 to 2 weeks. Most babies' belly buttons will heal on their own in about half a month. But don't rush to pull out the umbilical cord stump before it falls off naturally, even if it only seems to be connected a little bit.

The third tip: do a good job of disinfection and cleaning.

During the healing process of the umbilical cord, clear or yellowish sticky secretions will often seep out; the newly detached belly button is like a skin wound, and sometimes it will seep out some blood. This is all normal. Use 75% alcohol to gently wipe the navel clean. Do this 1 to 2 times a day. After 2 to 3 days, the navel will no longer be damp but will become dry.

The fourth tip: observe carefully.

As the umbilical cord stump falls off, the skin around your belly button often becomes slightly red. This is normal as the stump falls off. However, if the skin around the belly button becomes red, swollen and smelly, it is likely that there is local suppuration in the belly button, so you should take your baby to see a doctor immediately.