How long does the navel heal in a newborn. What to do if the navel does not heal in a newborn: effective tips and a complete list of reasons. Video: care for the umbilical wound of a newborn

Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova

Reading time: 8 minutes

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Article last updated: 04/18/2019

The umbilical cord is an essential intrauterine connection between mother and fetus. Through it come all the substances required for the growth and development of the child. Immediately after birth, the newborn's body should begin to function on its own, so there is no longer a need for an umbilical cord. It is clamped with clamps in two places and cut off at a distance of 2 cm from the baby's abdomen. The rest is pinched with a paper clip or tied with silk thread. Rarely, when the umbilical cord falls off even in the hospital, most often newborns are sent for discharge with a paper clip.

Of course, young parents have a lot of questions about the navel. How to care for the wound when it becomes “normal”, is it possible to bathe a baby, etc.

Falling off the umbilical cord

First you need to find out when the navel falls off in a newborn. Of course, everything is individual - for someone on the second day, for someone on the fifth. The maximum period for the formation of the navel and the fall of the remainder is 10 days.

If on the tenth day the remnant of the umbilical cord is still in place, or you suspect some kind of pathological process, then you should immediately seek the advice of a pediatrician.

Sometimes this happens during a diaper change or baby changing. There is no need to panic - this is a normal situation. In place of the former umbilical cord, a small but rather deep wound remains, which must be properly treated. To do this, you will need a clean pipette, hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green solution and dry, clean wipes.

First of all, you need to wash your hands well with soap. You can even treat it with some kind of alcohol solution. Everything must be done calmly and without sudden movements. The baby needs to be calmed and put on his back. If blood oozes from the wound, then it is necessary to press a sterile napkin against it for several minutes. When the blood stops, use a pipette to drop 3-4 drops of peroxide into the navel. Wait a while until it stops hissing and foaming (this is a normal reaction). Then it is necessary to carefully blot the remaining solution with a napkin, and apply a solution of brilliant green to the entire cavity of the wound.

If the remainder of the umbilical cord has not completely fallen off, then in no case should it be forcibly removed. It is treated in the same way as a regular umbilical wound.

Umbilical wound care

You need to try to keep the navel open as much as possible. For this purpose, you can tuck the edge of the diaper or use panties with a special hole. The healing navel should in no case be injured. Clothing in contact with this area should be well ironed and without seams.

You can not tear off the crusts, pick at the navel, put any bandage on this area or stick it with adhesive tape. At best, this will cause a long non-healing wound, at worst, it will lead to complications.

When the rest of the umbilical cord is still in place, the child should not be bathed so as not to infect the infection. But as soon as the umbilical cord falls off, water procedures can be carried out. Water should be boiled and warm. You should try to avoid direct contact of the umbilical wound with water. It is better to separately treat this area with a clean, damp sponge.

Each time you finish bathing, you need to re-treat the navel. This should be done as many times a day as water gets into the wound. As in the very first time, after the umbilical cord falls off, 3% hydrogen peroxide is first instilled, then brilliant green is applied.

All clothes, things and hands touching the umbilical wound should always be clean.

The healing process of the navel

How to understand the navel has healed or not? First of all, you need to examine the area of interest. The skin around the umbilical opening should not differ in temperature or appearance from surrounding tissues. Nothing should stand out from the wound. Touching the navel does not cause anxiety or crying in the newborn. On the Internet, you can find many photos of what a normally healed navel should look like. So parents have something to compare.

However, there are situations when the process is delayed or even complicated. The main reasons why this trouble happens can be:

very thick umbilical cord;
long umbilical remnant;
not proper care;
prematurity.

When to sound the alarm

If the blood does not stop in a newborn when the umbilical cord falls off. This is a rather rare situation, since the umbilical vein no longer functions. But there are pathological conditions which may cause slight bleeding. The first thing to do in this case is to press a sterile napkin to the navel and keep it until the doctor arrives.

The umbilical wound remains in all newborns after they are born. This is the place where the mother's placenta connected with the bloodstream of the child to be born. Immediately after removing the baby from the womb, the umbilical cord is blocked with a special clip and cut. The flow of blood through (one vein and two arteries) stops. As a result, a small section of the umbilical cord of about 2 cm remains, which is regularly treated in the maternity hospital with antiseptic solutions (hydrogen peroxide and "potassium permanganate").

Every day the rest becomes drier, mummified. But it happens that the navel of a newborn does not heal for too long, which worries parents. How long should it heal, what reasons delay its drying and how to avoid this unpleasant phenomenon?

In order to identify the problem and not worry for no reason, it is useful for parents to know how much the navel heals in a newborn, according to the norm. The terms may differ from the usual indicators by 1-3 days, according to the individual characteristics of a small organism, but no more. The healing of the umbilical wound in babies occurs in stages.

From the moment of birth and for the next 3-5 days, the umbilical cord in a newborn is a nodule.
From 3 to 5 days after birth, the umbilical cord finally dries up, falling off on its own.
In 1-3 weeks of life, the baby's navel will heal like a normal, albeit rather deep, wound. It may even bleed slightly at first, which is very frightening for new parents. If the bleeding is small, do not panic.
At 3-4 weeks of a baby's life, the umbilical wound heals completely.

Usually in the maternity hospital, a young mother is warned when the navel in newborns heals: this happens by the end of the first month of the baby's life. If this period is delayed, it is imperative to call a doctor who will help find out the causes of this phenomenon and eliminate them, and then prescribe treatment.

Causes

There may be several reasons why the navel in a newborn does not heal for a long time. Some of them are easily corrected by the care and efforts of the parents themselves, but some can only be eliminated with the help of a doctor.

big navel

For each baby, depending on the individual characteristics of the body and the condition of the placenta (if it was thick), the size of the navel may differ. If it is large enough in diameter, it will take longer to heal than other babies. If this is the true reason that the navel does not heal well, there is nothing to worry about. It will definitely dry out, but it will happen more slowly, because the wound itself is large.

Umbilical hernia

If the baby's navel not only does not heal, but also protrudes, this is a dangerous sign of an umbilical hernia. In this case, the child should be shown to the doctor as soon as possible.

Poor wound care

All parents are different: someone zealously blows off a speck of dust from a newborn, someone does not really care about hygiene. Both options are equally bad. In the first case, the mother cleans the wound too thoroughly, thereby damaging the thin skin again and again. In the second case, dirt or some foreign body may get in. In any case, the wound can bleed, and there can be no talk of healing. You should definitely consult a doctor for advice. He may have to remove a foreign body from the umbilical wound of a newborn, since such manipulations are strictly prohibited at home.

Weakened immunity

Babies can be born too weak when weak immunity is susceptible to various infections and microbes. It is very difficult for such an organism to independently cope with the healing of such a serious wound as the umbilical one. If the reason that the child's navel does not heal for too long (in which case it may bleed) is a weak immune system, one cannot do without medical intervention and medications.

Suppuration

If an infection has entered the wound after contamination, severe suppuration may begin in it, which is usually accompanied by a bad smell and incomprehensible secretions. At the same time, drying slows down, the navel remains wet for a long time. In this case, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.

There can be many reasons for this phenomenon. By the end of the first month of a baby's life, parents begin to worry about what to do if the navel does not heal in a newborn, how they can help their baby. If the healing of the wound is delayed for more than a month, you must go to the hospital and do not take any independent action. This can harm the health of the baby and aggravate his condition. Only a doctor can determine the true cause of this unpleasant and painful phenomenon and prescribe the appropriate treatment. It must be remembered that it is much easier to prevent a disease than to treat it. This also applies to the healing of the umbilical wound in newborns.

Prevention

In order for the baby's navel to heal as quickly as possible, parents must initially ensure proper wound care. This will make life easier for the baby and will not allow a long and painful healing of the navel.

The first 7–10 days, the umbilical wound must be treated with “greenery” (it is preferable to potassium permanganate). It is recommended to do this once a day after bathing before going to bed.
When a crust forms on the umbilical wound, it is better not to remove it: the risk of damage to the skin is very high. Let it fall off on its own.
During the healing period of the navel, it is better for babies to bathe in a separate, baby bath. Water for these procedures is recommended to boil and then cool to 36-37°C. It is good to add a solution of "potassium permanganate" to the bath so that the water turns into a slightly pink hue.

If the umbilical wound does not heal in a newborn for a very long time (more than a month after his birth), this is a signal that something has gone wrong, and it is necessary to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible. Any independent actions can only worsen the condition of the child in general and the wounds in particular.

The return of a young mother and baby from the maternity hospital is a responsible and very important period. After all, now all responsibility for growth, development and health little man completely rests on his mother and all relatives. Very often, one of the most misunderstood moments is the care of the navel. The need for this can even cause panic among inexperienced parents. However, in fact, there is nothing complicated about this. After all, you can learn the basics of this business under the guidance of a patronage pediatrician.

Also in maternity hospital mothers are interested in the doctor how long the navel heals in a newborn. The answer to the question, how long does it take to heal umbilical wound rather individual. In most cases, this occurs in the third week of a child's life. But sometimes this process can take a little longer. Therefore, parents should clearly know how to understand that the navel has healed.

What you need to know about the navel

In the mother's womb, the baby receives the nutrients it needs, as well as oxygen, through the umbilical cord. In addition, products come out through it. When a baby is born, this connection between him and his mother's body is cut. Apply to the rest of the umbilical cord bracket Rogovin .

However, even if the navel is not bandaged after birth, bleeding will not occur. The umbilical ring has two arteries and a vein. After cutting, the arteries gape due to the denser structure of the wall, and the vein will collapse. However, this does not mean that bacteria cannot enter the resulting wound. To prevent this, in the maternity hospital, the umbilical residue is bandaged and carefully processed.

And when the rest of the umbilical cord falls off, which happens after about 4-5 days, you need to continue to carefully treat the wound. There is no need to panic about the fact that “the rest has fallen off, what should I do?”, Because if it is processed correctly, everything will be fine.

If the navel does not fall off, you must wait a few more days. Sometimes this does not happen in the hospital, and this means that it will disappear after 7-10 days at home. After the navel falls off, you need to treat the umbilical wound very carefully, doing this in three stages.

Initially, with the help of a sterile cotton swab, you need to treat the wound from all sides. It is best to take hydrogen peroxide 3% concentration.

To prevent infection, it is necessary to lubricate the wound alcohol 96% . The remaining stump must be dried and gently lubricated potassium permanganate 5% .

If the navel has not fallen off, is it possible to bathe the baby?

After the umbilical cord has fallen off, the mother can safely bathe the child. It is better to bathe in boiled water. But until the cord has fallen off, the baby is not bathed - his body only needs to be gently wiped with a warm, damp sponge.

Processing the navel of a newborn at home

With the normal development of the baby, the healing of the umbilical wound occurs on the 3rd week - during this period it epithelizes. How to treat the navel to a newborn before healing, the local nurse or pediatrician will explain to the woman. This procedure should be carried out as it happens in the maternity hospital. For a mother who needs to know exactly how to handle a newborn's navel correctly, it is important to consider that this should be done every day after bathing. First, mothers need to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water.

It is also important to know how to treat the navel of a newborn. Used for these purposes hydrogen peroxide , alcohol 96% , brilliant green solution 2% or for processing. And here is the solution potassium permanganate it is not recommended to use for these purposes, since it is not easy to prepare a solution of the correct concentration of their powder, and, moreover, if the crystal accidentally appears on the skin of a child, it can provoke burn .

Initially you need cotton swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide, soften the crust. If at the same time the peroxide does not begin to foam, this means that the navel has healed.

In the healing process, the crusts will gradually fall off, which must be removed very carefully. You can not peel off the crusts by applying force.

When processing the navel, you need Special attention give to the base of the umbilical cord. Every time it is very carefully wiped to remove all wet discharge. It is most convenient to do this with a cotton swab. This will speed up the drying and healing process.

How many times per day?

This procedure should be carried out once a day.

If the navel does not heal well, regular “airing” will help speed up this process, for which you need to open the tummy more often. When using diapers, you need to bend down the girdle so that the wound remains open. Do not touch the wound if it is not necessary.

What to do if the navel is bleeding in a newborn?

Parents who do not know what to do if blood appears on the umbilical wound, initially need to figure out why the navel is bleeding in a newborn.

Sometimes the reasons for this phenomenon are simple and understandable. The umbilical wound bleeds if it occurs traumatization when the child was swaddled, wiped or bathed. The diaper should be put on very carefully until the wound is completely healed. Some mothers are too active in cleaning the wound from crusts, thereby provoking injury.

The navel may bleed due to the formation umbilical granuloma (fungus ). If the umbilical cord was thick, after cutting it, a wide umbilical ring remains, and it heals for a long time. As a result, granulations increase, and the navel resembles a mushroom in its shape. This formation is painful, and even when swaddling, catching it, you can provoke the appearance of pain. And even after a minor injury, the umbilical wound in this case begins to bleed.

When blood appears from the umbilical wound, you must act as follows:

If the blood appeared due to careless handling of the wound, you need to drop a few drops of hydrogen peroxide on the umbilical wound.
You do not need to put the baby on the stomach.
Air should be provided to the navel.
During the period when the umbilical wound is bleeding, it is impossible to bathe the baby. You need to wait until the navel stops bleeding completely, and a crust appears on it.

But it is best to consult a doctor, show him the baby, provided that blood flows from the wound.

It is especially important to immediately show the child to the pediatrician if he not only has an umbilical wound bleeding, but also his general condition has worsened. In such a situation, it is better to urgently go to the hospital or call an ambulance.

If the navel does not heal for a long time in a newborn, you need to pay special attention to this. When the so-called weeping navel is noted, this indicates the first stage - the inflammatory process of the umbilical wound. During this period, the navel does not fester yet, however, a serous discharge of a light color appears from the wound, and the skin around it turns a little red. In this case, the baby feels normal.

In such a situation, local treatment is practiced - you must first disinfect the navel with hydrogen peroxide, and then treat it with brilliant green. This procedure should be repeated 3-4 times a day.

In some cases, additional use is indicated ultraviolet irradiation . If the navel becomes wet in a newborn, the use of ointments or powders containing is sometimes indicated. Treatment of a weeping navel in a newborn involves the use of ointments containing bacitracin And polymyxin .

Provided that the inflammation was not stopped in a timely manner, it may begin to appear from the wound. pus . In such a situation, the umbilical ring turns red, edema appears. Gradually, the navel turns outward, the skin on it and nearby becomes hot and red. With omphalitis, the body temperature rises, the child is naughty a lot, reluctantly takes the breast, and becomes lethargic.

In this case, it is very important to immediately consult a doctor and ensure proper treatment. Otherwise, the pus will begin to spread into the subcutaneous tissue, move to other organs, which can subsequently lead to the development sepsis .

Features of treatment

Such babies undergo treatment in inpatient neonatal pathology departments. They must be prescribed antibiotics.

If the baby's temperature is very high and there are signs of severe intoxication , the baby can be given intravenous administration of the necessary drugs.

Sometimes after sowing for sterility, the presence of staphylococcus in the umbilical wound. In this case, the treatment is anti-staphylococcal immunoglobulin .

It is necessary to treat the inflamed area antiseptics doing this several times a day.

Provided that the body temperature has stabilized, it is possible to carry out physiotherapy namely, microwave.

conclusions

Thus, you need to be very careful about the wound until the navel heals.

Parents should not go to great lengths to speed up the healing process. Let everything happen by itself.

It is important to remember that the navels of babies are very different. In some children they are in-depth, in others they are protruding. You should not practice any actions to change the shape, as such actions can provoke irritation and inflammation.

In general, caring for an umbilical wound is not difficult, the main thing is to clearly follow all the recommendations and not rush things.

Caring for a baby requires special skills that parents will have to master as they get to know their own child. Caring for an umbilical wound is one such skill.

Navel: treatment in the hospital

When the baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut. To prevent umbilical bleeding, the obstetrician pinches it with a special clamp and cuts it. From that moment on, the physical unity with the mother is interrupted - the child becomes an independent human unit.

At this time, the newborn's navel looks like a small process, a "tail" about 2 cm long. The maternity hospital staff treats the umbilical wound with a special antiseptic solution to prevent suppuration.

Over time, the process dries up, “mummifies”, and the wound heals and the usual appearance of the navel is formed. But it happens that the healing process is delayed.

How to treat the navel of a newborn at home

To help heal the umbilical wound, it is important to properly care for it from the first days the crumbs appear in your home. Usually in the maternity hospital, a young mother is told what manipulations should be done with the navel, but we will also talk about the main points of care.

1. The first week, the umbilical wound is treated with a solution of brilliant green. This should be done once a day, after bathing before going to bed.

2. Bathe the baby in a special bath, in boiled water heated to 36-37°C. You can add a little "potassium permanganate" to the water (the water should be slightly pink). After water procedures wipe the child gently, with wet movements.

3. It is better not to remove the crust that forms on the wound, but to give it the opportunity to fall off on its own.

4. If you swaddle your baby, then do it not tight.

How long does the navel heal in a newborn

Often new parents worry and worry for no reason. To dispel unnecessary fears, first of all, learn about the main stages of healing of the umbilical wound.

● 0-5 days - the umbilical cord of the newborn is a nodule.
● 3-5 days - the umbilical cord dries up and falls off without assistance.
● 1-3 weeks - the healing process is underway. At this time, the navel may even bleed slightly, because this is a rather deep wound. If the bleeding is minor, then you should not panic.
● 3-4 weeks of life - the navel heals completely. Healing times may vary, as even a newborn organism has its own individual characteristics. But, as a rule, such a fluctuation does not exceed one, two or three days.

The navel does not heal well for several reasons, some of which are easily remedied, while others require medical intervention.

Causes of a non-healing belly button

Big belly button.

The navel of a large diameter, as a rule, heals longer - the wound is large.

Improper wound care.
This implies not only a lack of hygienic treatment, but also too thorough care. If you clean the navel too carefully, then the wound simply will not have time to heal.

Umbilical hernia . Be careful - if you notice a protrusion of the navel, you must definitely call a specialist! This could be a sign of an umbilical hernia.

Weak immunity.
If the baby was born premature or weak, then his immunity is especially vulnerable to infections. With weak protection of the body, the umbilical wound heals for a long time and often bleeds. Seek medical attention, most likely drug treatment not enough.

Suppuration.
Obvious signs of suppuration are discharge from the umbilical wound (the navel "wet") and an unpleasant odor. There is no need for medical intervention.

If by the end of the first month of life the navel has not healed, you should not delay and call a doctor.

Is handling the navel of a newborn cause concern? The information from the article will help a young mother be more confident in herself.

Treatment of the umbilical wound is the first mandatory procedure that a young mother must learn to carry out in the hospital. For some women, it causes fear and insecurity, because the newborn is still so small and fragile.

You should not panic and get lost, usually, there is nothing difficult in manipulating the navel. If it happens that the umbilical wound begins to bleed or get wet, together with the pediatrician it will definitely be possible to solve this emergency situation.

What does the navel look like in a newborn?

During pregnancy, the organisms of the fetus and mother are inextricably linked by the umbilical cord. Through this smooth and elastic cord 50-70 cm long, the child breathes and eats.

By the time of birth, the umbilical cord consists of:

umbilical arteries (two of these vessels)
umbilical vein (it is through it that blood enriched with oxygen and nutrients enters the fetus)
Wharton's jelly (its function is the protection of umbilical vessels)

Even in the process of childbirth, under the influence of the hormone oxytocin, to which Wharton's jelly reacts, the umbilical vessels narrow, and atrophy of the umbilical cord begins.

But when the baby is born, the functions of the placenta are not yet lost, the umbilical cord pulsates, and the baby still breathes through it and receives the rest of the nutrients. For some time, seconds or minutes, the newborn is on the so-called double breath - he receives oxygen through the umbilical cord and through his own respiratory organs.

IMPORTANT: Doctors are having a heated debate about when it is better to cut the umbilical cord, finally separating the child's body from the mother's. Some believe that this should be done immediately after birth, others - at the moment when the umbilical vessels stop pulsing. Each side has its own arguments. But in both cases, the process is carried out in the same sequence.

Following the rules of asepsis and antisepsis, the doctor places a special clamp on the placenta at a distance of about 2 cm from the newborn's tummy, and then cuts the umbilical cord. The rest of the umbilical cord is first treated with alcohol in the delivery room.

A small tail remains on the baby's tummy, which will soon atrophy, dry out and fall off. And if the mother manages to provide the umbilical wound with proper care, in the future the baby will have a neat navel.

VIDEO: Caring for the umbilical wound of a newborn

When does the navel fall off in a newborn?

The childish end of the umbilical cord (stump) falls off 2-14 days after the birth of the child. This should happen spontaneously.

IMPORTANT: Previously, women were in maternity hospitals for 7-8 days, or until the umbilical stump falls off. It is no secret that doctors often "contributed" to this event by removing the remnants of the umbilical cord with scissors or a scalpel. By doing so, they endangered the health of the baby.

In no case should the umbilical cord fall off:

If this happens until the vessels are completely mummified, the navel in the form of an open wound will become the “entrance door” for all kinds of infections to enter the baby’s body
There are cases when intestinal rings get into the umbilical cord. You can not talk about the consequences that will occur if it is cut off

Today, young mothers and newborns, if everything is in order with them, are discharged on the third day after childbirth. Therefore, in most cases, the umbilical stump in babies disappears already at home.

Before discharge, the medical staff should instruct the woman on what care she should provide to the navel of the newborn. The pediatrician or patronage nurse, who will visit her at home in the first days, should tell her about this.

IMPORTANT: Before the child's end of the umbilical cord falls off, it is better to wear special diapers for newborns with a cutout for the navel

When does the navel heal in a newborn?

Normally, the umbilical wound in a child should heal 2-3 weeks after the stump has fallen off, or by the end of the first month of life.

How many times to treat the navel in a newborn? How to treat the navel in a newborn?

Care rules umbilical wound, manipulations that promote its healing are simple. Young mothers master them very quickly, bring their actions to automatism.

Navel treatment is a daily procedure for a baby in the first month of his life.

So, in order for the umbilical wound in the crumbs to heal safely and quickly, parents should:

IMPORTANT: If the mother noticed that the navel in the crumbs heals for too long, it is inflamed or bleeding, there are seals in its area, you need to call the pediatrician

Why does the navel bleed in a newborn? What to do?

If the baby’s navel bleeds a little for the first few days after the stump falls off, there is nothing to worry about. There is a natural process of wound healing. If she continues to bleed after 7 days or longer, this is a pathological condition, formed due to such reasons:

Thick placenta and umbilical cord. In this case, healing is slower
Mechanical damage. The crust on the umbilical ring can be removed by negligence during dressing, bathing, processing the navel. The baby himself can pick it off while lying on his tummy. The crust can also peel off due to friction on the diaper.
An infection got into the umbilical wound. The mother should be alerted by the unpleasant smell of the ichor secreted from the navel, the presence of purulent discharge, redness and hyperemia of the skin around the umbilical ring, fever in the baby, and a general deterioration in his condition. The crumbs may have a purulent omphalitis - an infectious inflammation of the bottom of the umbilical wound

Pus in the navel in a baby is a sign of infection.

Umbilical hernia. Its true sign is that during crying, coughing, and other physical effort, the baby's navel protrudes and increases to the size of a walnut

IMPORTANT: Sometimes, in order for the navel to stop bleeding, it is enough for the mother to change the tactics of caring for it. But there are times when a child needs a qualified health care. Therefore, if blood is released from the umbilical wound for longer than 5-7 days, the baby should be shown to the doctor.

Why does the navel get wet in a newborn? What to do?

If there is serous discharge from the umbilical wound, they say that the baby's navel is getting wet
This can happen for the same reasons that the wound at the site of the fallen umbilical stump bleeds
The weeping navel must also be treated, otherwise the serous discharge will create a favorable environment for the reproduction of microorganisms that cause the disease.