Cord Blood Stem Cells Information

My 2 week old baby still has his umbilical cord, is this normal?

Also, there is puss behind his umbilical cord, is this normal? Its almost about to fall off and I needed to know what I should do about the puss? Thanks in advance :) His umbilical cord is infected, could not reach his doctor, should I take him to the emergency room, or is it not that serious?

Public Comments

1. It's normal, around 2 weeks is when it falls off. As for the puss, it could be infected, so for now, use some peroxide on it and give the doctor a call.
2. Puss means there is an infection. Newborns have no immunities and almost no white blood cells. They literally have almost nothing to fight infection with (unless you're breast feeding). You need to take your baby to the doctor and make sure the infection isnt, and doesnt enter the blood stream.
3. it's normal, just keep cleaning it and I bet it falls of in the next day or two.
4. Sometimes it takes a little longer for the cord to let go. I would take a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol and dab the cord every time I change the diaper. Be sure to keep the cord dry at all times. If after a day of keeping it "completely" dry other than the rubbing alcohol. It should clear the puss away. Do not pull on the cord. If the puss continues with the use or the rubbing alcohol please contact your babies Dr.
5. Puss can be a sign of infection. My baby is almost 3 months old and she still has a little black inside her belly button, and her umbilical cord came totally off around 4 weeks. i was concerned about it but her doctor looked at it and said it looked normal and some babies take longer for it to come off. he also said to watch for things like puss, so if I were you I'd let the pediatrician know. ADDITIONAL::: If you use anything on it at all, make sure it is rubbing alcohol. do not use peroxide as was suggested earlier. MORE ADDITIONAL::: I don't know who thumbs downed all of us, but whoever it is is wrong. Haha, seriously though. There is no harm done in calling your pediatrician and puss can definitely be a sign of infection-- umbilical cords DO get infected. EVEN MORE ADDITIONAL::: :) I would call the hospital and ask to speak with the nursery and talk to a nurse there. They are there 24/7 and you can ask her if it is serious enough to take him to the ER, I have no idea if it's that big of a deal. so give your local hospital a call and ask a nurse there. Good luck and don't be worried-- things like that happen! :)
6. My 3 year old and 4 year old both had their umbilical cord still there until about 6 weeks! I was freaked out, but of course, it eventually fell off. I wouldn't use a cotton ball with alcohol, just because it might be too much, and you don't want the alcohol drying out the skin all around his belly button. But I would use a q-tip, and keep it dry. Also, as suggested by others, the puss could be a problem, I would at least call the nurse at his Drs office to make them aware and see if they would like you to bring him in.
7. to all those that say to use peroxide or rubbing alcohol - you are totally WRONG!!! NEVER use peroxide or alcohol on a baby's ambilical cord - this is old outdated advise that pediatricians now say to not do ever. since it probably is infected you should take him to his doctor ASAP. my daughter's ambilical cord had to be removed by her doctor cause it was taking forever and it kept getting caught on her clothes and that would make it bleed.
8. our baby's umbilical cord fell off before he left the hospital -- after the 4th day -- pus is a sign of infection. call your baby's doctor.
9. Our daughters umbilical cord did not fall off until she was 1 month and 3 days old, so your baby is okay time-wise. The puss is a bit concerning though. I would take the baby to the Dr.
10. do nout use peroxide or rubbing alchohol on the umbilical cord. peroxide should never be used on a baby and dr.s use to advise to use rubbing achohol to clean it daily every time you change their diaper, but my pediatrician said that using the achohol dries the cord out, but it also kills the cells around it that are working to make the cord fall off, so using rubbing achohol will only make the cord stay attached longer. as for the puss, contact his pediatrician as soon as possible. and if you are really worried about it call the nursery and ask to speak with a nurse about it. they will be able to tell you if it is serious enough to bring him in or not./ hope that helps