cord coming off early

[2CheekyMonkeys]

DD is 4 days old and her cord has nearly come off already. it is still a little on the slimy side, hasnt dried out completely. it is a little smelly too. is this really bad? i have her check up on thursday, (today is tues) can it wait til then?

[Tinks]

It should be alright. Give it a wash with salty water. If you're concerned about it before your appointment go and see the doc.

[Jellyfish]

My DD's cord fell off in the bath on Day 5 and she is now 3 weeks with a beautiful and clean belly button! It smelt really weird and was worrying us (almost made me gag, it was the most bizarre smell) but we went to the doctor on day 7 and he said it was perfectly normal and to just keep it clean because it may have a small amount of bleeding for a few days (I think it was about a week after that it was completely "normal" looking). If it isn't red and your DD doesn't seem concerned about it then it probably isn't something you need to be concerned about either but definitely bring it up with your doc on Thurs just to ease your mind -- he/she will probably check it out anyway

[Mak]

Hi

My DD2 had same issue - some advice we got was to make sure the top of her nappy was folded down below the stump so it could 'breathe' and to try to keep it from getting too moist - so wipe/dry each nappy change etc... The MCHN suggested it may need cauterising but it healed beautifully after we started folding nappy out of the way.

Good luck

PS but if you are concerned get it checked out!

[Salsa]

Same happened with Ds. I was really worried about it being infected or heamorage etc. I rang the baby helpline and they said it was normal. They said to gently clean the area around it with saline (boiled water with salt and then cooled to room temp) and cotton tip.
His was a bit green and slimey and slight smell and was coming off early too. I did what they said and when the midwife came to visit 2 days later she said it was normal too.
Ring the free helpline too and explain how old your bub is etc and see what they say to give you peace of mind. If it sounds to them like its not good then they will tell you and you can get help from there, but I think it probably is ok.

[Arcadia]

Hi, my DD's cord fell off at about day 5. I did NOTHING to it. I didn't wipe it or clean it on the advice of my midwife. It does get a little smelly before it falls off, but that is normal.

As others have suggested, the best thing to do is keep the nappy/clothing away from the area if possible to avoid irritation.

[2CheekyMonkeys]

thanks girls. well it actually fell right off tonight and i freaked a little. called 131health and was told basically everything you girls said :-) all is good. hers just fell off early.

[Evie76]

Yeah. You're all good.

The umbi's not a pretty sight when it falls off. Daniel's fell off at about day 4. It was a bit soggy too, but I just didn't put anything on it and the area dried up.

Keep the clip though - little memories *sigh*

[2CheekyMonkeys]

LOL, well i kept DD1's clip but had to throw DD2's out cause it stunk soooo bad!