New mothers aren’t being told how to care for their baby’s umbilical cord stump

New mothers are not being shown how to care for their baby’s umbilical cord stump and are confused about the best way to look after it.

A survey of more than 1,000 mums found that 72 per cent had not been given any advice about caring for it.
Some parents cleaned around the cord wound often during the day.

But, others did so less frequently or not at all.

Around 70 per cent of parents admitted they were nervous about handling or cleaning it.

Midwife Nikki Khan says: “Midwives advise parents to avoid routine cleaning of the cord and allow the wound to heal and dry naturally, with as little interference as possible. Cleaning should only really be done if the wound becomes contaminated, and just cool boiled water and cotton balls are advisable to use on this delicate area.”

But parents not being given this simple advice have been using various methods to treat the wound.

Some filled the wound with salt, honey or earth.

Others used outdated methods such as putting a penny on the cord or cleaning it with alcohol, talc or surgical spirit.

Nikki has been working with Huggies, who commissioned the research, to create a website full of information mums need to know about cord care.

For more information, visit: www.cordcare.co.uk

To watch a video about caring for your baby’s cord, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ESFMVIHm4U&feature=youtu.be