What should I do if the umbilical cord does not fall off for two months?

After the baby is born, the umbilical cord will usually fall off naturally after a period of time. In addition, you must take good care of the baby's umbilical cord to avoid infection. Before the umbilical cord falls off, it is best to disinfect the baby's umbilical cord regularly every day and keep the umbilical cord dry, especially when bathing. You must pay more attention. Most babies' umbilical cords will fall off quickly. What should I do if some babies' umbilical cords haven't fallen off after two months?

What should I do if the umbilical cord does not fall off after two months?

The time when the umbilical cord falls off is related to the method of ligating the umbilical cord after the birth of the newborn. If the remaining end is very short, it will fall off quickly 3-4 days after birth. Otherwise, it will take 5-7 days to fall off.

If it does not fall off for more than 7 days or even longer, you should go to the hospital for further examination and treatment. If the remaining umbilical cord becomes dry and black, you can gently scrub it with 75% alcohol and the dry and black umbilical cord will fall off. If it still does not fall off, you should continue to scrub it. If there is local purulent secretion, you can first clean it with hydrogen peroxide, and then gently scrub it with 75% alcohol. You can also go to the hospital for treatment. Never cut it blindly.

How to properly care for your baby's umbilical cord?

1. Keep the umbilical cord dry

This involves the issue of bathing the baby, especially in the hot summer, when the baby will sweat to varying degrees when feeding and crying. We recommend that you give the baby a bath as much as possible before the baby's umbilical cord falls off, and avoid a tub bath for the time being. Or put a belly patch on your baby to keep him dry during the bath. Be careful not to use excessive force when removing the belly button sticker afterwards. At the same time, artificially pulling off the umbilical cord may cause bleeding and infection! Let the umbilical cord fall off naturally, and don't be impatient to "help" your baby pull off the umbilical cord.

2. Use 75% alcohol and sterile cotton swabs for disinfection and cleaning

Disinfect and clean your baby's umbilical cord 1 to 2 times a day. If there is a lot of secretion, you can increase the frequency. Don't forget to wash your hands before disinfection to avoid cross infection. First, use one hand to open the belly button to expose the umbilical cord more to the air. Use a cotton swab dipped in 75% alcohol to disinfect it in a spiral motion from the inside to the outside. Do not disinfect it back and forth repeatedly. Discard a cotton swab after disinfecting it once, do not reuse it!

3. What should I do if pus, bloody secretions, or blood scabs appear?

When pus or bloody secretions appear, increase the number of daily disinfections. If a blood scab appears, just disinfect it normally. Do not remove it, as it may cause bleeding and infection.

4. Avoid wet clothing and diapers rubbing against the umbilical cord

Try to keep your baby's belly button exposed to the air and avoid friction caused by wet clothing and diapers. Generally, the umbilical cord stump will fall off naturally 10 to 14 days after the baby is born, but in a few babies it may be longer. As long as there are no signs of infection at the end of the umbilical cord, such as redness, swelling, exudation, odor, etc., parents do not need to worry too much. At the same time, try to avoid urine and feces contaminating the umbilical cord, and pay attention to the correct use of wet diapers. Male babies can adjust the position of their genitals when changing wet diapers to avoid excessive urine contamination of the umbilical cord!

5. Do not use skin care products or medicines on your baby

The most common ones are baby skin cream, skin oil, and prickly heat powder, which should not be used on the baby's belly button. They are not sterile at all, nor are they designed specifically for umbilical cord care. Not only will they not help the umbilical cord fall off, they are likely to cause infection and redness and swelling.

If the baby's umbilical cord shows large-scale redness and swelling, bleeding and exudation, odor, or the baby has fever symptoms, it indicates that the baby may be at risk of infection and needs to be taken to the doctor for help in time.