Umbilical

Updated on May 29, 2008
L.G. asks from Boone, NC
25 answers

So this is a question for a friend. Her son is 6 weeks old and still has his umbilical cord. It feels super deep and is all dried up, but will not let loose and come out. The doctors told her not to pull because it might not be healed. She is really concerned because they said it could be a low white cell count. Has anyone else had a baby whose umbilical cord stayed this long? And did it result it any "abnormalities?"

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C.N.

answers from Memphis on

My friend's son's took forever to come off. Her doctor said she actually used too much alcohol and it was almost in a preserved like form! Don't worry about it!

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J.H.

answers from Johnson City on

My little girls fell off at 8 weeks and caused no problems whatsoever. It will come off when its ready, just keep cleaning with alcohol swabs when changing diapers...

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T.C.

answers from Charlotte on

Both of my children lost theirs around 2 weeks . But with my last child the doc said to clean it with a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. This makes it heal faster because the alcohol helps it to dry up . Hope this helps.

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E.G.

answers from Knoxville on

My little girl's umbilical cord half came off when she was 2 weeks old but half stayed on. her clothes would rub at it and cause it to bleed so we kept her in sleepers and had to be careful of her diapers. She went to the doctor once a week for about a month and he would look at it finally he sent us to a surgeon. He said that when the umbilical cord is cut the whole on the inside heals up and then it falls off. Hers hadnt healed yet. He told us they could do surgery and go in and i guess kinda tie it off but he didnt recommend it at her age too risky for something that wasnt causing a problem. It finally came off all he way but she was close to 4 months old. She is fine and has always been fine. The only thing is she has a outie belly button but that could have happened anyway. The doctors told us to keep it clean and dry to let it get some air not to keep it covered all the time we used alcohol and neosporin on it

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M.E.

answers from Lexington on

i know a guy whose little girl's cord stump didn't want to fall off. it got really bad infected and she ended up needing surgery to remove it and take care of the infection...but that's a worse case scenario. jsut watch it and keep it clean and dry. our ped said not to put alcohol in the stump, and once a day to kind of push around the base of the stump and that would help looses it up and fall off. jsut make sure the doc said it's ok.

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C.S.

answers from Nashville on

I think my son's umbilical cord stayed on until 2 months or longer. He was 3 weeks early due to complications, I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it... but I just kept putting alcohol on it... deep though because it was a deep belly button and low and behold after 2 months it fell off and had the little dried up string. Then that fell out as well... but I know that I felt scared and that there was something wrong as well. But it will come off eventually and it will be fine, the doctors can help as well. It won't be there forever!

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S.B.

answers from Raleigh on

My youngest lost her cord at around nine weeks and she's fine. She's only five months old now but my dr. was never concerned about it. I just kept cleaning her cord with alcohol a couple of times a day until it came off. It's hard not to worry about something like this but it will come off when it's ready.

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A.G.

answers from Memphis on

My little girls cord didn't fall off until she was 2 months old. My ped. finally had to put some kind of med. on it because it had formed and seal and the inside wouldn't dry out. After she had the med. put on it only took a couple of days for it to fall off and she has no abnormalities. Hope this helps.

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D.K.

answers from Wheeling on

I have never heard of such a thing and I'm going on 60 years old! For heaven's sake. My daughter worked for 5 pediatricians in Pa. and an infant died from a infected belly button that didn't heal. Does this mom dab the area with sterile cotton and alcohol? That's what we did back in the day! This little baby will be in my thoughts and prayers.

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R.S.

answers from Fayetteville on

My son's umbilical cord stayed on for four weeks. During the first four weeks I was cleaning the area with alcohol though I was not cleaning under the cord. My pediatricial told me to gently pull the cord away from the skin and try to get alcohol under the cord to dry it up. This worked and his umbilical cord was off in about a week. I think I would get a second opinion.

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A.S.

answers from Huntington on

Hi!
My daughter had her umbilical cord on for longer than six weeks. Our pediatrician who is absolutely wonderful said that her umbilical cord is still trying to grow so he had to put silver nitrate on it, but is completely harmless to the baby. My daughter didn't feel a thing. See, they have no feeling in the umbilical cord. He was completely careful and actually had to do it twice. And it worked great. Her cord would bleed alot before he did it and I was so worried because it wasn't coming off. But, it's actually common and is not a big deal. After he but the silver nitrate on it was a matter of days when it fell off. So, I would say her umbilical cord is still trying to grow, and I don't understand why your pediatrician would think it was a low white cell count. I would have another opinion if he thinks that. Don't worry, get the right doctor! Good luck!

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V.C.

answers from Louisville on

L.,
My DD had an issue with hers not coming off and the DR put some special stuff on it and then it dried up even more down where it is connected. Don't pull it as per the DR.

It can be something simple.

MY DD is now 5 so I forget what they put on it... sorry.

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A.H.

answers from Pine Bluff on

My daughter's cord stayed on for what seemed like forever! I was delighted when I finally found it on the floor one morning after dressing her - it had fallen off in the night in her sleeper. She seemed to suffer no ill effects of having it that long. I just kept putting that alcohol on to try to get it dried out.

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K.F.

answers from Nashville on

My son's umbilical cord took a while to fall off. It was moist so I took him to his Dr and had it checked out. They put silver nitrate on it to help it fall of and it came off that same day. I believe he was about 1 month old. It continued to stay moist for a few weeks after that but finally healed up fine and no problems. I would definately not pull it off but maybe suggest the silver nitrate idea to the Dr.

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L.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

My daughter's cord took close to 8 weeks. Try using less alcohol when cleaning, it will dry faster. Unless there are signs of infection I wouldn't worry.

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C.H.

answers from Raleigh on

My son's umbilical cord stayed on six weeks. I finally snipped it off with clippers when it was hanging by a dried up shrivled little thread (since it got snagged on my shirt and ripped most of the way off-that sucked)! We lived where it was really hot and humid and we never used the ac so I figured that was why it took forever to fall off. Mommies always jump to radical conclusions. He is probably fine.

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L.W.

answers from Memphis on

My son had his for 4 weeks and it didn't appear to be coming off. When we called the pediatrician, she told us to stop putting alcohol on it, that bacteria actually needed to eat through it for it to fall off (we were putting alcohol on it 3x a day). We stopped using alcohol and it fell off in a week.

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L.W.

answers from Raleigh on

My son's umbilical cord did not come off until around 6 weeks. I thought it was wierd too, but the Dr. said not to worry. They can put some sort of substance on it to help it along. My baby is now 4 months old, and his has a little hard covering, but the Dr. said it will eventually go away. You can't really see any difference, only if you touch it. Tell your friend not to worry, all babies are different in all areas!

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K.S.

answers from Huntington on

My daughter's didn't come off until six weeks. Are they using alcohol to help it dry up? DEFINITELY don't tug on it!

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C.K.

answers from Knoxville on

Hi L.,
My son's umbilical cord did not come off until his 2nd or 3rd month doctor visit when the doctor removed it with silver nitrate. Tell your friend not to worry about it. Just keep cleaning it every day with the rubbing alcohol and, like one other mom said, make sure she kind of pulls it to the side and gets around the area and the folds for lack of a better word. As long as she is keeping it clean, it will either come off on its own or the doctor can take it off. There was no problem with my son's umbilical cord - it just didn't want to fall off! And it was no issue having the doctor remove it either - very simple office procedure and no pain. She should ask her pediatrician at the next visit too because he is of course the expert!

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J.S.

answers from Charlotte on

My son's took almost 8 weeks to fall off. He still had it at his 2 mo. check up. The doctor kept saying let air get to it and more rubbing alchol. It eventually fell with no problems. Tell your friend just to hang in there. My son was a big baby and I think his cord was just thicker and therefore took longer.

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M.T.

answers from Nashville on

If she is concerned with the blood cell count, tell her to have his blood drawn and tested while she is at the dr office. They will do it if she is concerned. Otherwise, I would just leave it. My little girl;s stayed on longer than the boys' did. Why I do not know. Her belly button doesn't look quite like the boys either though. It isn't an outy but it isn't a full inny either. Don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. I wouldn't pull though, that could cause problems. As far as staying on longer with abnormalties, she is my smartest one yet so maybe that is a sign her little boy will be really smart.
Tell her not to stress. It will come off in it's own time.

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L.C.

answers from Raleigh on

Our first son had it for a long time as well, it also got infected(we had no idea what we were doing:)) but putting alcohol on it consistantly did the trick.

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A.T.

answers from Lexington on

My son's took almost 6 weeks to fall off. At 5 weeks I called the Dr. and they told me to use a Q-tip and put a little alcohol on it. It fell off within days of doing that. He just now 7 weeks so I don't know of any effects it may have had.

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L.W.

answers from Johnson City on

My son kept his cord on until he was over two months old. I would clean it all the time and it didn't want to move. Finally fell off.

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