Wetting navel in a newborn: a normal option or an excuse for panic attacks?

The first problem faced by young parents is the treatment of the navel. If several years ago the doctors were unanimous in the opinion that this place should be washed every day and processed with greenery, now they are divided. Some pediatricians still insist on careful care of it, while others say that it is better not to touch it - so it will only sooner heal.

Disturbing symptoms

Of course, how to act, Mom and Dad must decide, because now they are responsible for their crumbs. But if the slightest problems started, the navel flushed and becomes wet, then it is necessary to immediately show the baby to a neonatologist or a pediatrician.

Most often, this situation occurs when the infection penetrates into the wound that has not yet healed. At the same time, the newborn does not bother, he behaves as usual, but this does not mean that everything is fine with a crumb. If you notice a purulent discharge of grayish color, which dries up and forms a crust, an unpleasant odor from the wound and a reddened skin, then it is necessary to start processing the problem site even further.

A collapsing navel in a newborn is the first sign of the onset of an inflammatory process on the bottom of the wound. If there is such a problem, the pediatrician, most likely, will say that the baby has omphalitis. Please note that this must be combated. If the navel will become wet for more than 2 weeks, it can lead to the fact that at the base of the umbilical wound will begin mushroom-like growths, the so-called fungus of the navel. In this case, the healing of this place will be difficult.

Treatment

Noticing the bellying navel from a newborn, after a preliminary consultation with a pediatrician, it is necessary to begin to process it at least 3 times a day. First of all, 2-3 drops of hydrogen peroxide (its 3% solution) should be applied to the wound with a sterile pipette. After this, necessarily dry the navel (for this you can use an ordinary cotton swab). Now you can proceed directly to the treatment with an antiseptic. As a disinfectant, use a solution of drugs "Chlorophyllipt", "Furacilin" or other means prescribed by a pediatrician.

Do not forget that the belly button in the newborn should not be stuck with adhesive plaster. Also, do not make any compresses on this area - so you just create a favorable environment for the reproduction of bacteria. But you can bathe the baby, but you need to do this only in boiled water, in which you can add a few crystals of potassium permanganate.

Effects

If you have not paid enough attention to the bellying navel of a newborn and decided not to do anything, then within a few days the situation may worsen. The inflammatory process in this case begins to shift to adjacent tissues - this will already be a manifestation of the phlegmonous form of omphalitis. In this case, the problematic place will not only become wet. The navel will swell, pus will be abundant from it, and the surrounding tissues will swell and redden. This process, as a rule, is accompanied by an increase in temperature, the baby begins to eat badly, becomes sluggish. At the same time, there will be no time to find out the reasons why the navel of a newborn gets wet. With the kid it is necessary to go already to the surgeon, at this stage still there is an opportunity to cope with a problem by means of antibacterial ointments. But even now the doctor can prescribe antibiotics and anti-staphylococcal immunoglobulin for certain indications.