When should the neonatal dressing be removed?

When the fetus is in the mother's body, it is connected to the mother by the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord will be cut after the baby is born. During this period, the baby's umbilical cord must be well cared for to prevent infection. Generally speaking, the umbilical cord will dry naturally within 48 hours after the baby is born, and will fall off naturally after a few days. It will be able to heal on its own in about half a month. Of course, if it is not properly cared for, infection is also prone to occur.

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.

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.