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Children's health

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Original poster

Only half the cord has come off

23 replies

Pootletrinket · 08/05/2011 09:51

DD2 is 13 days old and yesterday, the clamp and everything 'above' it fell off. But her belly button is still covered in more 'cord' (ie crusty,bloody). I've just been bathing it with cooled, boiled water and a bit more seems to soak away each time, but am I doing the right thing?

OP posts:

SummerRain · 08/05/2011 10:16

As long as it's not smelling or oozing it's fine.

ds2 kept his for ages and I had to go to the gp for her to remove it at 2 weeks because it was starting to ooze green pus and was still a bit bloody, she got all surgical one it and it was fine in a few days but if it hadn't been oozing she wouldn't have touched it.

ds1 took ages to lose his too so it's common enough

Carrotsandcelery · 08/05/2011 10:18

It sounds like you are doing the right thing. Were you given any of the sterile wipes? You could use them too after bathing it in cooled boiled water.

Ask your health visitor to have a look at it next time you go for a weigh in.

Original poster

Pootletrinket · 08/05/2011 10:23

not seeing hv for another 6 weeks apparently. underneath the crusty bit is quite bloody but will keep an eye and see....no, not given sterile wipes. sorry typing one handed as have baby in other arm!! dd1 came off clean after 6 days so this is v. different!

OP posts:

Carrotsandcelery · 08/05/2011 10:29

If in any doubt at all then I would arrange to see a doc/nurse/hv. I doubt it is a concern but you don't take risks with babies and I know the professionals are very happy to see babies and to tell mothers that they are entirely healthy.

My friends dd had something similar and her tummy button is an "outy" so this may be all that is going on.

I would be keen to get some sterile wipes though so that gives you a good excuse to speak to the health visitor, even on the phone. That is their job after all. Mine has always been entirely supportive.

Carrotsandcelery · 08/05/2011 10:31

I am a bit that you don't see the hv for 6 weeks when you have a 2 week old baby.

Who is going to monitor weight gain?

SummerRain · 08/05/2011 10:33

Carrots, all three of mine have outie's.... dd lost hers cord on the second night and the boys took closer to 2 weeks!

Carrotsandcelery · 08/05/2011 11:40

Both of mine took ages to lose their cords.

DD has an inny and Ds has an outy and outy combined (hard to explain) and his certainly took a bit longer to sort itself out.

LisamumtoJake · 08/05/2011 11:44

i wouldn't worry too much, but my DS's did that, then when he was about 4 weeks it started to bleed and crusted again, turned out he had an umbilical hernia, so he had a mahoooosive belly button until about 10 months and it went down, he now has a normal outie!! :) Nothing to worry about though, just if in doubt get GP or HV to check it tomorrow?! :)

Original poster

Pootletrinket · 09/05/2011 07:50

Will give them a ring after bathing it this morning.

HV just told me there are only 5 core visits, I've had one and the next 4 will take place over the next year....a bit different to DD1, but she said that the WHO guidelines are that babies are only weighed 6 times in first year and that MWs have already done that 3 times. I guess GP will weigh her at 6 week check and it's up to me to monitor weight gain...?!

OP posts:

MenaZovut · 09/05/2011 08:01

It's very different round here. We seem to have one HV visit (mine was when ds was 20 days) then after that there's a weekly clinic where you can go to see a HV and get baby weighed...or not if you so choose. Are you sure there's no clinic near you?

ginmakesitallok · 09/05/2011 08:07

Where I live they have cut back on HV visits for non-vulnerable families. Don't do regular weight checks as they are usually unnecessary

Northernlurker · 09/05/2011 08:07

I think it's brilliant that they don't want you to trek along and get your baby weighed every week. Frequent weighing does not improve outcomes, just stresses mums!
However that doesn't mean you can't see the HV if you have a concern. I think you are doing the right thing but if it doesn't dry up totally in the next day or two I would see either your HV or go straight to your GP. Dd1's took a long time to dry up and in the end we were given some antibiotic powder to apply as there was a slight infection.

Original poster

Pootletrinket · 09/05/2011 09:05

Thank you :)

There is a clinic I can take her to, but am not yet driving after EMCS and DH is back at work.

OP posts:

Carrotsandcelery · 09/05/2011 18:35

How is her cord today Pootle? Did you phone the hv?

Northernlurker · 09/05/2011 18:36

If you ring the HV with a concern they really should drop in and see you.

mrsravelstein · 09/05/2011 18:39

ds1 and dd both took a long time for cord to drop off and looked really quite gruesome for a good couple of weeks. ds1 had an umbilical hernia which had settled down sufficiently by the age of 1 that they left it be, he does now at 10 have an outy button though. dd does too.

Original poster

Pootletrinket · 09/05/2011 19:56

I did ring HV, she sounded exasperated and said she couldn't advise me without seeing it. She asked me to go to GP (pointed out that I've just had EMCS and can't drive at the moment), she asked if I could go to one of the clinics later in the week (ditto above) so she said she'd ask if a community MW could call in with some swabs.

MW phoned around 5pm and said that they don't see cords after 12 days as they discharge (so she wouldn't know what to say...I thought strange!) but said it sounded like it's not infected and, if someone can, they will pop in tomorrow to have a look....she said they tend not to interfere as it's dead tissue so will attract bugs anyway as long as her skin doesn't get an infection, they're happy.

Some contradiction, clearly today was a busy day.

BUT I bathed her this evening again and the top 'crust' fell off. Will try to get as much air as I can to it as there's still some bloody/greeny bits and if it's all normal in the morning, will cancel MW.

OP posts:

Northernlurker · 09/05/2011 20:06

Sorry you've had all that faff. Sometimes I feel embarassed to work for the NHS (Hello HV - she's had a c-section and has a small baby to look after. You have neither of those issues so how about you schedule her in to your visits?

Anyway sounds like it's getting there so hope you get on ok tomorrow.

Carrotsandcelery · 09/05/2011 20:23

I am so sorry that they were so unhelpful - that is shocking. It is surely the hv responsibility to come and see your baby.

Hopefully it will sort itself out as it sounds like it is improving - I hope the hv sorts herself out soon too.

Original poster

Pootletrinket · 09/05/2011 22:05

LOL! Thanks both! It seems to have changed around here since I had DD1, I don't have a specific HV anymore, it's all about the advice line or making it to the clinics (or waiting until the 8 week visit when the same woman who did the 11 day visit comes out!!). Fingers crossed it'll all be sorted by tmw!!

OP posts:

SummerRain · 10/05/2011 10:29

Pootle.... sadly it seems to be a common attitude with midwives and HVs. The day I went to the gp with ds2 to have his cord looked at my PHN (HV equivalent) called to the house in the afternoon. She was reminding me about the two week gp checkup we were entitled to and I mentioned i'd used it that morning because of the cord. The daft cow got all tutty with me and announced among other gems 'Well generally we wouldn't worry unless it smells' OK then, obviously the gp knows nothing and the fact that it was oozing massive amounts of green pus and blood was just fine then as long as it didn't smell bad

Hope it's looking better today

Original poster

Pootletrinket · 10/05/2011 14:07

It is, thanks. Even though I phoned the MWs to say no need to come, one came and she was lovely (and coo'ed over DD, which was nice :)) and said it looks like it'll be fine in a couple of days and keep doing what I'm doing!

Thanks!!

OP posts:

emilie89 · 10/05/2011 17:38

Haven't read all the posts so someone may have already said something similar. My son had this after he was born, when his cord fell of it left behind a bit of a stump. Took him to the GP who said it was OK as not infected and to leave it a couple of weeks and see if it sorted itself out.

It didn't and it looked sore and pink so took him back and they froze it off with liquid nitrogen. It was fine, he squealed a bit but he now has a lovely normal (if a little big :)) bellybutton.

Hope your DD is ok.

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