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Cord Care

Poll Results: How did you care for baby's cord stump?

This is a multiple choice poll
  • 6% (9)
    Clean and dry, fell off <3 days
  • 26% (38)
    Clean and dry, fell off 4-7 days
  • 16% (24)
    Clean and dry, fell off 8+ days
  • 0% (1)
    Alcohol, fell off <3 days
  • 11% (17)
    Alcohol, fell off 4-7 days
  • 22% (32)
    Alcohol, fell off 8+ days
  • 0% (0)
    Goldenseal, fell off <3 days
  • 8% (12)
    Goldenseal, fell off 4-7 days
  • 2% (4)
    Goldenseal, fell off 8+ days
  • 5% (8)
    Other (Lotus birth, etc.)
145 Total Votes  
post #1 of 30
5/1/03 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 
How did you care for baby's cord?



I'm curious, this time we did no cord care except keeping it clean and dry and it fell off at 5 days old. One of my midwife's clients used goldenseal on her baby's cord and it fell off at 3 days. Dd's cord took much longer (7-10 days I think), but we did alcohol at every diaper change. What's your experience?

I made it so that you can choose multiple answers if you've had more than one babe.

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post #2 of 30
5/1/03 at 5:22pm
Well, I said clean and dry and 3 days, but I did cheat and use witch hazel.
post #3 of 30
5/1/03 at 5:22pm
I voted clean and dry, but we didn't even keep them that dry- they both had at least one bath (in the big tub with me) before it fell off and got all wet. Those little babies like to float!

#1 at almost 2 weeks , #2 5 days.
post #4 of 30
5/1/03 at 9:58pm
We cleaned ours with alcohol and I think it fell off a little over a week after he was born, but we didn't clean it after every diaper change. I think I used the alcohol about 2-3 times/day. I've heard that if you keep it meticulously clean, it takes even longer to fall off. Goldenseal is supposed to work well, but we were afraid to use it. DH is severely allergic to ragweed and chamomile, and I'm afraid that he may be allergic to goldenseal as well since it's also gold.
post #5 of 30
5/1/03 at 10:17pm
Goldenseal a few times a day and it fell off at 4 days. Same with DS.
post #6 of 30
5/1/03 at 11:41pm
I can't really participate in the poll because we didn't care for it the same way all the time. Sometimes we cleaned it with alcohol and sometimes we just cleaned it with a wet wash cloth. Her's didn't fall for about 4 weeks!! They didn't do a good job of getting the whole stump with the inky looking stuff in the hospital.
post #7 of 30
5/1/03 at 11:54pm
DD # 1 we used alcohol a couple of times a day and her cord fell off after a month!!!! No idea why, just took a LOOONG time! So far we have been leaving DD #2 cord alone and it is still there, but just barely..... She'll be 3 weeks on Monday.
post #8 of 30
5/1/03 at 11:57pm
We did clean and dry with a little bit of calendula oil once in awhile when it looked like it might have gotten bumped and it fell off no problem within 3 1/2 days
L
post #9 of 30
5/2/03 at 10:03am
We also used callendula and did not keep dry as dd and I bathed together twice a day in an herbal bath - hers fell off in 5 days. With my boys I used the "tried and true" alcohol and keeping dry and theirs took 10 days.

Keri
post #10 of 30
5/2/03 at 10:10am
My first child's fell off in three days. We kept it clean and dry.
My second's cord fell off in one week. We didn't use anything on it, either.
post #11 of 30
5/2/03 at 11:03am
We used a mixture of goldenseal and some type of graperoot that my midwife gave us. It fell off in 5 days. My midwife told us that it usually takes longer with alcohol because the alcohol acts as a preservative.

My mom did the alcohol thing when my sister was born and her stump was still there when she went in for her two month checkup!
post #12 of 30
5/2/03 at 4:08pm
I voted alcohol, but we didn't use alcohol at every diaper change, only about once or twice a day. Both kids lost theirs at about 3 weeks or so. I always wondered if that had anything to do with the fact they were 5 weeks early. Probably just a coincidence.
post #13 of 30
5/2/03 at 7:35pm
Actually, the reason alcohol takes longer is because it tears down all the new tissue that is created as a part of the healing process. Anyone with piercings can tell you that alcohol is a big no no because when it tears down the new tissue the tissue rebuilds slower and bigger, causing keloids or a buildup of scar tissue. The reason many babies today are seen for a dime sized circle of scar tissue that protrudes from the umbilicus once the cord has fallen off is the recommendation of the use of alcohol. I mean really, what do they think cave mommies used?
Lauren
post #14 of 30
5/3/03 at 10:54pm
With dd, I did a little clean & dry & a little alcohol...fell off right at her 1 mo. bday!!! I was really beginning to wonder!!!!!

With ds, I used alcohol & it fell off in a little more than a week.

Can't wait to see that belly button, Michelle!
post #15 of 30
5/3/03 at 11:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by huskrkid
Can't wait to see that belly button, Michelle!
We can't wait to see you guys either! I might brave the drive to playgroup this week just because Elana has cabin fever and is going nuts!
post #16 of 30
5/4/03 at 10:51pm
I used goldenseal with baby #1 and it fell off within 1-2 weeks. It was a little "yucky" when it came off and I do remember using a little alcohol the day it came off. Baby #2 the hospital actually told me not to use alcohol, to just keep it dry and clean of course because recent studies showed that alcohol was getting into the bloodstream - I would think you would have to really soak it. I was shocked that the hospital actually told me not to do anything. Don't they usually want to intervene with everything?? So with her I did nothing and it came off at about the same time 1-2 weeks.
post #17 of 30
5/6/03 at 9:03pm
we did nothing special...didn't even clean it specifically (did what the hospital told us to do)...

I think that 8+ is normal. Ours fell off at 12 days.
post #18 of 30
5/6/03 at 10:55pm
veganmamma: I had no idea alcohol was so bad!! I'll never do that again!

What is Lotus birth?
post #19 of 30
5/10/03 at 3:12am
:LOL I found out by being pierced and tattooed!
post #20 of 30
5/10/03 at 11:22am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by NoraB
veganmamma: I had no idea alcohol was so bad!! I'll never do that again!

What is Lotus birth?
http://www.pregnancy.com.au/Lotus_birth.htm

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