How long does it take for the umbilical cord of a premature baby to fall off?

After the birth of a premature baby, the umbilical cord will gradually fall off as the baby develops well. During this period, you must prevent infection in the navel area. You can wipe it with alcohol. Generally speaking, as the child develops, the umbilical cord will gradually improve. The umbilical cord will gradually fall off 3 to 4 days after the baby is born. During this period, you must strengthen care and prevent infection. Let's take a look at this aspect.

How long does it take for the umbilical cord of a premature baby to fall off?

There are many situations that mothers and fathers don’t know how to deal with after a newborn is born. They don’t know where to start when faced with a newborn baby. There are so many situations that they don’t know how to take care of the baby. All kinds of worries and anxieties follow them like shadows. So how long does it usually take for the umbilical cord of a newborn to fall off? Let me lead those who have just become mothers and fathers to understand it.

The nutrition for the fetus is supplied by the mother through the navel and the fetus has to pass through the necessary channel to excrete waste. Under normal circumstances, the umbilical cord will naturally shrink within 24 to 48 hours after birth, begin to fall off within 3 to 4 days, and heal on its own within 10 to 15 days. After the umbilical cord falls off, there will often be a small amount of exudate in the umbilical pit. At this time, you can use a 75% alcohol cotton swab to clean the umbilical pit, and then cover it with sterilized gauze. As long as the baby's belly button has grown well, you can take a bath in water. Because the baby has been in the water since birth, so mothers don't worry.

What to do if the newborn umbilical cord falls off and bleeds

Bleeding from the umbilical cord occurs because the blood vessels at the umbilical cord stump are blocked after the umbilical cord has been tied, cut, or fallen off. At this time, if the baby cries frequently and the abdominal pressure continues to increase, these blood vessels may not be fully open and may bleed a small amount, and a small amount of blood may be seen on the baby's clothes. At this time, just use 75% ethanol (medical alcohol) to wipe off the blood on the navel, cover it with sterilized gauze, and bandage the navel with a bandage. It will usually heal in a few days without the use of hemostatic drugs, but care should be taken to keep the local area clean and hygienic to prevent bacterial infection.

The above is the relevant information given by the editor about how long it usually takes for the umbilical cord of a newborn to fall off. People who are new to being parents should not be anxious when encountering such a situation. Pay attention to keeping the local area clean and hygienic. It should be kept dry before the baby's umbilical cord falls off. Especially when bathing, if the base of the umbilical cord is accidentally wetted, it should be wiped clean with a clean cotton swab first, and then perform umbilical cord care.