Umbilical Cord - How long to fall off?

Big_Mac · 21-06-2008 1:08pm #1

Ok, I realise this is not a medical forum and I am not looking for any medical advise. I am just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and can share it

My daughter was born 8 days ago and when she was three days old she grabbed the clamp on her cord when the consultant was looking at her. It started to bleed a little, and so they tied the cord with a bandage and took the clamp off. it has been bleeding a small amount once or twice but the nurses said it was fine. The PH nurse came to visit on wed and said the baby was fine, and just to cover it for a while to stop the nappy hitting it and it should fall off.

Anyhoo, we checked the cord this morning, and its nearly off, and wet underneath. Not pussy or smelly, just wet like a normal wound. I know not to pull the stump off, and to let if fall off naturally, but there was also a bit of blood around the area. Note this blood was dry, and so not recent in the last hour or so. So we are now just waiting for the belly button to dry out. The area around looks nice and healthy and there are no signs of infection at all.

How long should it take for the stump to fall off? Has any one else had this happen? If so, did it turn out ok? I'm a new parent and so I'm over cautious about everything. Any advise would be fantastic..

Thanks

Mr Magnolia · 21-06-2008 1:25pm

Congrats on the new arrival!

Every parent goes through something similar.

It took around 10 days for my daughters cord to fall off entirely. As you say leave it alone and it should have fallen off after another day or 2. Keep an eye on it, if it gets red around the area or starts weeping you may need to have it looked at. From what you describe it sounds identical to my baby's.

SuperSean11 · 21-06-2008 1:29pm

Congrats:)

Loopy · 21-06-2008 7:59pm

Well done and a big congratulations to you both...

It obviously varies with all kids, but both of mine lost there's between a week and 2 weeks... Just keep your eye on it so infection doesn't set in, should be fine though.

Good luck with the sleepless nights

Mr Magnolia · 21-06-2008 8:01pm

looptheloop wrote: »

Good luck with the sleepless nights

Smiled when I read that. It's great Big_Mac, savour it all

leesmom · 21-06-2008 9:07pm

congrats on the new arrival,oh i can just feel the exhaustion now!:D;)
my lil boys cleared up at about 3 weeks completly,i couldnt wait for it to be gone,i was always afraid it was hurting him!i used to just fold the nappy down to stop it rubbin off it.

Big_Mac · 22-06-2008 1:15pm

Thanks for the posts guys, i'm certainly not as worried now. It seems to be drying up a bit and doesn't smell or look sore. The PH nurse should be back tomorrow or tuesday so I'll wait until then. Man I wish babies came with a manual

I wouldn't go as far as to say sleepless nights though. She wakes us up every three hours, so it could be at 2, 5/6 and 8/9. Give her some food, and she's off to the land of nod again. very placid little girl althogether. We love her to bits....

tallaght01 · 22-06-2008 2:28pm

10 days standard.

But it can often take longer, and doesn't cause any problems. If you're worried ask your community midwife or paediatrician to explain it to you.

Try not to worry....there's a lot of things that are gonna cause you a lot more stress in the next 18 years

Umbilical Cord - How long to fall off?

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