When does the umbilical cord of a newborn's belly button fall off

The umbilical cord is the bridge that connects the fetus to the mother in the womb. After birth, the nurse will cut the umbilical cord at the baby's end. Therefore, umbilical cord care is very important for newborns. If it is not properly cared for, it can easily cause tetanus or even sepsis. A better care method is to wipe and disinfect the navel area with medical alcohol, so that the umbilical cord will fall off automatically in 1 to 2 weeks.

When does the umbilical cord fall off in a newborn?

Under normal circumstances, the umbilical cord of a newborn will fall off within 2 weeks, but this is just a reference value. Some babies lose their moles at around 7 days old, while others lose their moles at almost 1 month old.

If the baby's umbilical cord has not fallen off for more than 2 weeks, parents do not need to be nervous. Just disinfect the baby with alcohol every day and make sure the umbilical cord is locally dry and has no exudation. The umbilical cord will fall off naturally after it dries up.

Newborn umbilical cord care

The care of the newborn's umbilical cord is very important. If it is accidentally infected, the baby may be infected with tetanus, sepsis and other diseases. To prevent pathogens from infecting the baby, it is necessary to take good care of the newborn's umbilical cord.

Generally speaking, the umbilical cord will fall off by itself, but there is a period of time in between. During this period, the umbilical cord needs to be carefully cared for by mothers. If you can follow the following three principles, you can easily take care of the baby.

1. Keep the umbilical cord dry. The baby's umbilical cord should be kept dry before it falls off naturally. If the base of the umbilical cord is accidentally wet during bathing, it is best for the mother to wipe the area clean with a clean cotton swab before performing umbilical cord care.

2. Avoid rubbing the umbilical cord area. When your baby is wearing diapers, be careful not to let the waist of the diaper be at the base of the umbilical cord. Otherwise, when the baby moves, the diaper will easily rub against the base of the umbilical cord, causing the skin to break, become red, and even bleed.

3. Do not apply skin cream casually. The baby's umbilical cord is very fragile. Do not apply creams, lotions or oils to the base of the umbilical cord to prevent the umbilical cord from drying out and even causing infection.

What to do if the newborn's umbilical cord does not fall off

After the baby is born, the doctor will tie the baby's umbilical cord. After a few hours, the umbilical cord stump will turn brown-white, and then gradually dry up, become thinner, turn black, and eventually fall off.

Under normal circumstances, the umbilical cord of most newborns falls off in about 2 weeks. If the baby's umbilical cord has not fallen off after 2 weeks, parents must carefully observe the condition of the umbilical cord to see if there are signs of infection or inflammation, such as no redness, swelling or suppuration; if there is no large amount of fluid oozing out of the baby's navel, parents do not need to worry too much, just insist on disinfecting the baby's navel with alcohol every day. If any abnormal situation occurs, it is recommended to take the baby to the hospital for treatment.