how to take of your newborns umbilical cord stump

How To Care For Your Newborn’s Umbilical Cord Stump


How Is The Umbilical Cord Connected To The Baby?

Ever wondered how babies in the womb grow and develop right there in the womb, without anyone feeding them food,  water, and vitamins in the womb?

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Of course, humans need these things to grow and develop, so it is right to wonder how babies eat and drink in the womb.

Babies get every food, drink, nutrients, oxygen and vitamins that they need for growth and development, through the placenta which is connected to the child by the umbilical cord.

The umbilical cord develops right from the seventh week of the baby’s stay in the womb.

The umbilical cord doesn’t only supply the baby with what it needs in the womb, it also helps the baby remove what it doesn’t need from its body.

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The umbilical cord is made up of, a vein which transports oxygenated blood from the placenta to the child,  and two arteries which take deoxygenated blood, from the child to the placenta, these three blood vessels can be found in wharton’s jelly, a soft tissue that insulates and protects the baby.

The Umbilical cord is different in sizes, as you can find umbilical cord between 45 – 60 centimeters.

Top 3 umbilical cord care items for your newborn

When the baby is born, the job of the umbilical cord is done, the baby has no need for it anymore, as all those necessities passed to it from the mother via the umbilical cord, can now be passed through external mediums.

What Happens To The Cord After The Baby Is Born?

After the birth of the child, the umbilical cord is ejected from the mother, clamped to stop blood flow from the child,  and cut very close to the baby’s body.

What happens to the umbilical cord and placenta after the cutting, is dependent on the parents of the child.  

Some family disposes of it, while others hold it as keepsakes.

This cutting leaves a stump that is joined together the baby’s navel.

Lots of folks especially new parents have no clue as to what should be done to care for the umbilical stump, to ward off infections which could be life-threatening to the new baby.


Ways To Care For The Umbilical Stump.

The umbilical cord stump needs to be adequately taken care of before it drops off in about seven to twenty days after birth.

The following are ways to keep the stump free from infections until it drops on its own.

• First and foremost,  don’t try to force the stump to come off.  

You have no business trying to pull the stump off.  

Allow it to heal and come off naturally.


• You need to keep the stump dry and clean.

Expose the stump to air to allow it get healed faster.

Make sure you don’t have your new child heavily clothed all the time,  to allow fresh air on the stump area.

This will speed the drying stage.

• Specially bathe your child.  

Read: How to give your newborn a sponge bath

This is not the time to bathe your child fully immersed in tubs or baths.

Learn to sponge or towel wash your child till the stump drops.


• Check in with your pediatrician on what else you can use on the stump.

Some Dr’s prescribe the use of alcohol in treating the stump,  to hasten it’s healing.

However, to avoid irritations or skin allergies, you need to check in with your child’s physician, to know what ointment can be used on your child.

Since everything about the conceiving and growth of a child happens naturally,  it is natural to make use of natural methods to take care of the umbilical cord stump.

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If you like this article share it with your new mom friends and please let me know by leaving a comment down below. 🙂

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