Why does the baby's belly button hurt?

The baby's belly button is a very important part, because many diseases are caused by problems with the baby's belly button, so you must pay attention to the protection of the baby's belly button. Sometimes, because parents are not paying attention, the baby’s belly button hurts and the baby just cries, and the parents are helpless. Now we should think about why the baby’s belly button hurts.

Three principles of umbilical cord care

Principle 1: Dry the water around the baby's belly button after bathing

Before the umbilical cord falls off, you can only give your baby a sponge bath, or you can use the method of scrubbing the upper and lower body sections; the body below the navel should not be immersed in the bathtub. Because the umbilical cord that is about to fall off is a kind of necrotic tissue, it is easy to cause infection if it comes into contact with water.

When using talcum powder after taking a bath, be careful to avoid the navel and do not apply the powder directly on the navel, so as to avoid long-term irritation from the powder remaining in the navel and the formation of chronic omphalitis. After washing, first dry the navel with a sterilized cotton ball, and then disinfect it with 75% alcohol. When disinfecting, be sure to gently lift the umbilical cord stump that has not fallen off, apply the disinfectant evenly on the base of the navel, wait for it to dry slightly, and then wrap it with clean gauze.

You still need to be careful when bathing your baby after the umbilical cord falls off. After bathing, you should use clean and soft gauze or cotton swabs to dry the navel, and then disinfect it with 75% alcohol to keep the navel dry and clean. Once your baby's navel has completely healed, you can safely give him a bath.

Principle 2: The top of the diaper should not be too long to avoid getting the umbilical cord wet.

When using a diaper, it should be tied below the navel. If the diaper is too long, it should be folded down at the waist and not cover the navel. When the diaper is soaked with urine, the urine will seep into the navel along with the overly long diaper, making the navel in a humid environment, causing various pathogens to multiply locally and eventually leading to inflammation of the baby's navel. Therefore, you should pay more attention to check whether the diaper is wet, and change it in time to keep the area clean and hygienic.

If the navel is found to be contaminated with urine, it must be cleaned immediately. Use a clean cotton swab to dry the navel and then gently wipe it with disinfectant solution. Also, wash your hands before changing the diaper to prevent contamination of the navel.

When cleaning your baby's belly button, you should have a few extra cotton swabs ready. First, use a dry cotton swab to clean the navel, then take two cotton swabs and dip them in an appropriate amount of 75% alcohol, and wipe from the root of the detached umbilical cord in a clockwise direction from inside to outside. After using up one cotton swab, replace it with another one. Avoid using the same cotton swab repeatedly and do not wipe from the outside of the belly button to the inside, so as not to bring bacteria from the surrounding skin into the navel.

If the umbilical cord has not fallen off, lift the remaining end of the umbilical cord when wiping it, and wipe it from inside to outside in a rotating motion. Do not rub back and forth randomly. After wiping, wait a few seconds for the alcohol to evaporate, and then change to clean gauze.

Principle 3: Do not let diapers and clothes rub against your belly button

Avoid friction between the diaper and the baby's navel. Be sure to choose a diaper of the right size for your baby, not too tight or too loose, and move the upper front end of the diaper down to expose the baby's belly button. This is done on the one hand to reduce the friction of the diaper on the umbilical cord stump, and on the other hand to avoid urine contamination.

The clothes you choose for your baby should also be loose and soft to reduce umbilical cord infection caused by friction of clothing.

Since we are already parents, we should have the demeanor of a parent. It is good to pay more attention to some child care knowledge. For example, if we know why the baby's belly button hurts, we will know how to treat the baby's belly button pain, and the baby will not have to suffer so much.