Belly Button The belly button is the only visible remainder of the umbilical cord.
Throughout fetal life, the umbilical cord is the sole source of oxygen and nutrition.
When a baby is born and the cord is cut, what was once the most life-sustaining part of her body is now just a stump.
The series of events is remarkable: a newborn baby takes her first breath and blood is forced through the lungs so that it can be replenished with oxygen.
The vessels that carried oxygen-rich blood from mother to baby for so many months shrink down quickly, becoming tiny fibrous strands with no blood flowing through them.
Within minutes, the entire flow of blood through the body has changed, and a baby is able to rely upon herself to get oxygen.
The remaining umbilical stump heals over the first few weeks of life.
It turns black and hard, often rubbing against the diaper or clothing around it.
It can bleed or ooze clear fluid or even become infected.
Eventually it falls off, leaving behind the button.
Sometimes the button points inward, but other times it pouches out.
These "outies" have nothing to do with the way the cord is cut - only with how the muscles of the belly attach to one another.
HEALING UMBILICAL CORD (Birth-1 Month) What is happening inside my baby's body? The umbilical cord is the connection between the placenta - the provider of nutrition to the growing foetus - and your baby.
As soon as a baby is delivered, the cord is cut and the baby no longer receives oxygen and nutrition from her mother's blood supply.
A clamp is placed on the cord to stop it from bleeding, and in some hospitals, the stump is washed with an antibacterial liquid.
From then on, the cord slowly rots off.
It changes from yellow to brown to black.
After several days (sometimes weeks) the stump detaches itself from the skin and leaves behind a goopy button.
Over the next few days (or weeks) the area becomes scabbed, and eventually the belly button heals entirely.
The belly button is considered completely healed when the scab comes off and the skin underneath looks normal.
When the belly button has completely healed, your baby is ready for her first bath.
What can I do? In the past, wiping the umbilical stump - and once it had fallen off, the healing belly button - with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol was advised.
This was thought to dry out the stump, speeding the progression from falling off to healing.
There is no proof, however, that this actually speeds the process at all.
Therefore you can simply leave the area alone.
The alcohol does not help keep the area sterile, so with or without it, the button will generally remain clean.
In order to minimize irritation to the healing belly button, the front of a diaper can be turned down so that it does not rub against the sensitive healing skin.
Some newborn diapers are now made with cutouts at the front, minimizing the need to adjust for the belly button.
Remember, you should not submerge your baby in a bath until the belly button is completely healed.
Instead, give sponge baths only and keep the healing button dry.
When does my doctor need to be involved? Call your doctor if the area around the healing button becomes red and infected, or if there is a large amount of liquid coming from the healing belly button.
What tests need to be done, and what do the results mean? Even though a healing belly button may look black and crusty, this is normal.
As long as there are no signs of infection - such as redness or pus - and there is not a large amount of fluid coming from the stump, no tests need to be done.
What are the treatments? There are no treatments for a normal healing belly button.
What are the possible complications? The only complications of healing belly buttons are infection and persistent fluid leakage.
Throughout fetal life, the umbilical cord is the sole source of oxygen and nutrition.
When a baby is born and the cord is cut, what was once the most life-sustaining part of her body is now just a stump.
The series of events is remarkable: a newborn baby takes her first breath and blood is forced through the lungs so that it can be replenished with oxygen.
The vessels that carried oxygen-rich blood from mother to baby for so many months shrink down quickly, becoming tiny fibrous strands with no blood flowing through them.
Within minutes, the entire flow of blood through the body has changed, and a baby is able to rely upon herself to get oxygen.
The remaining umbilical stump heals over the first few weeks of life.
It turns black and hard, often rubbing against the diaper or clothing around it.
It can bleed or ooze clear fluid or even become infected.
Eventually it falls off, leaving behind the button.
Sometimes the button points inward, but other times it pouches out.
These "outies" have nothing to do with the way the cord is cut - only with how the muscles of the belly attach to one another.
HEALING UMBILICAL CORD (Birth-1 Month) What is happening inside my baby's body? The umbilical cord is the connection between the placenta - the provider of nutrition to the growing foetus - and your baby.
As soon as a baby is delivered, the cord is cut and the baby no longer receives oxygen and nutrition from her mother's blood supply.
A clamp is placed on the cord to stop it from bleeding, and in some hospitals, the stump is washed with an antibacterial liquid.
From then on, the cord slowly rots off.
It changes from yellow to brown to black.
After several days (sometimes weeks) the stump detaches itself from the skin and leaves behind a goopy button.
Over the next few days (or weeks) the area becomes scabbed, and eventually the belly button heals entirely.
The belly button is considered completely healed when the scab comes off and the skin underneath looks normal.
When the belly button has completely healed, your baby is ready for her first bath.
What can I do? In the past, wiping the umbilical stump - and once it had fallen off, the healing belly button - with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol was advised.
This was thought to dry out the stump, speeding the progression from falling off to healing.
There is no proof, however, that this actually speeds the process at all.
Therefore you can simply leave the area alone.
The alcohol does not help keep the area sterile, so with or without it, the button will generally remain clean.
In order to minimize irritation to the healing belly button, the front of a diaper can be turned down so that it does not rub against the sensitive healing skin.
Some newborn diapers are now made with cutouts at the front, minimizing the need to adjust for the belly button.
Remember, you should not submerge your baby in a bath until the belly button is completely healed.
Instead, give sponge baths only and keep the healing button dry.
When does my doctor need to be involved? Call your doctor if the area around the healing button becomes red and infected, or if there is a large amount of liquid coming from the healing belly button.
What tests need to be done, and what do the results mean? Even though a healing belly button may look black and crusty, this is normal.
As long as there are no signs of infection - such as redness or pus - and there is not a large amount of fluid coming from the stump, no tests need to be done.
What are the treatments? There are no treatments for a normal healing belly button.
What are the possible complications? The only complications of healing belly buttons are infection and persistent fluid leakage.
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