Cord Care

Following the birth of your baby, your midwife will clamp and cut the umbilical cord. It is normally left 2-3 inches long and the cord clamp is placed at the end furthest away from baby.

When will it drop off?

In around 5 to 15 days the cord will fall off, although the midwife may have removed the clamp before that.

During this time the cord will become very hard and turn a dark green/black colour. It begins to separate at the base and will eventually come away, often leaving parents to find it in a nappy!

What do I have to do?

It’s important that while waiting for this to happen that the cord is kept very clean. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt your baby. Although, some parents seem to find cleaning the cord a bit stomach turning – but you can do it!

To clean the cord you need some cooled boiled water and cotton wool. Dip the cotton wool in the water and away you go.

Clean right down at the base of the cord. If you need to, hold the cord at the furthest end and pull it to each side to enable you to clean all around.

When putting on a nappy, fold the front down to below the cord until it falls off as this will prevent the cord from rubbing and becoming sore.

Occasionally, the cord stump may become sticky and a bit bloody as it separates. If it does then it’s even more important to keep it clean. Your midwife will check the cord at every visit to make sure it is healing well. You should alert her to it if it becomes excessively sticky and bloody, if it smells offensive or there are little white spots around it as these can all be signs of infection. Often when the cord separates, a little piece of tissue on the navel may look a bit sore or weepy. Your GP can treat it by applying a silver nitrate stick to make it shrivel away.

Claire Parry RM November 2006