After your child is born; your doctor or your life partner has the opportunity to cut off the umbilical chord. Even after it is cut off a part of the stump remains attached to the baby and it will take some time for it to heal and fall off. While the child still has a part of the chord attached you need to be careful not to hurt the child’s stomach as it can cause damage and lead to bleeding. The chord will fall off after 2 weeks.

In order to help the chord to heal and fall off faster you must keep the area clean and dry. You can do so by rubbing the area with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol on the stump and the surrounding area. You must do this every time you change the diaper. Also when you are changing the diaper, you must be careful not to touch the stump. Also, fold the diaper below the naval so as to avoid rubbing and brushing of the diaper against the skin.

The area can have some form of bleeding and if you do see some bloody discharge there is no need to get worried as it is normal. What is not normal is to have the skin around the area getting red. Also if you sense a foul smell from the area then you need to call a doctor as it may lead to an infection.

Once the chord falls off you must stick to sponge baths and keep the area dry. You can start with regular tub baths after a few days of the chord falling off.

As far as a herbal remedy is concerned; you can try dabbing turmeric powder on the naval after the chord has fallen off. The powder is known to have curative powers to help the wound to heal faster and to reduce bleeding if any.