What does the belly button look like right after the cord falls off?

[JMarie]

Aidan's cord fell off last night, but his belly button still seems to be oozing a bit. The middle looks almost like a blister - it's not pink like the rest of his tummy, almost like the color of the umbilical cord. I don't think it's infected, but I'm not sure. It doesn't seem to bother him, although honestly, everything is bothering him right now (he was up until six this morning... I am so tired!). I'm still waiting for a phone call back from the ped's office, but I thought I'd check with the other mommies and daddies. TIA!

JMarie
Mom to Aidan Christopher 01/28/03

[Momof3Labs]

Hmm. When Colin's cord fell off, his belly button looked like a, well, belly button. It was a little pink at first, but didn't ooze or anything. I wonder if maybe Aidan's cord is falling off in two pieces?

Let us know what the ped says!

[celfsh]

Olivia's cord looked like that right after it fell off, and I must admit I kind of freaked out when I saw it. My ped recommended just watching it and keeping it clean and dry. After a week or so, it looked much better (like a normal bellybutton), although in the meantime it did bleed a little on occasion. If i remember correctly, the ped said that if it didn't dry up on its own, I could bring Olivia in and he would put silver nitrate (?) on it to dry it up, but, fortunately, we didn't have to do that.

Anyway, HTH. Good luck!

celeste
mom to olivia 9/25/02

[August Mom]

Justin's belly button looked like that after the cord fell off too. A nurse cleaned it with alcohol on the tip of a cotton swab. The oozing came back a few times during the next week and we wiped it with a wet cloth. Then the belly button looked normal.

[COElizabeth]

Some oozing is normal. Our ped said to call if there is still bleeding or oozing a week after the cord falls off, or if there is a lot of blood. I'm sure Aidan is fine, but your ped will tell you what to look for. Congrats on the first step toward a real bath!

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[JMarie]

Thanks for the reassurance, everyone! I did get a call back from the doctor's and they also said to keep an eye on it for a week, keep cleaning it every diaper change, and if it gets really nasty to bring him in. The poor little guy is just so upset today - he was up all night crying and most of today too. If you hold him, he's all good, but don't even think of putting him in the crib when he falls asleep! Oh well, back to the little man I go...

JMarie
Mom to Aidan Christopher 01/28/03

[cara1]

Ours oozed too for a while. Believe it or not, our ped suggested putting a little salt in there to dry it out. But I wouldn't do that without having your ped look at it first.

[mamahill]

A little oozing is ok. A friend's baby had real trouble and the thing actually smelled bad.

About the crying, have you tried sleeping him in his carseat or a swing? Ainsleigh had trouble with gas and reflux for the first while. She would NOT sleep laying down. She DID sleep swaddled in her infant seat or crib pretty well. Just a thought. Good sleep vibes your way...

[JMarie]

We tried the swing, bouncer, car seat, stroller, Boppy, bassinet, crib, and our bed - nothing worked except Daddy's or Mommy's arms. He could be out for half an hour in my arms and the second I put him down, he would wake up and scream bloody murder! It started last night and went through tonight. He fell asleep about a half an hour ago and I put him in his stroller all wrapped up in his softest, thickest blanket and he's still asleep. I know I shouldn't put the blanket on him, but I just can't bear to wake him up just to swaddle him (which he hasn't been appreciating lately anyway). Hopefully, he'll let us get a little sleep tonight before waking up for another feeding. Hopefully he'll get back to sleep...

JMarie
Mom to Aidan Christopher 01/28/03