Cord care following Caesarean section births

Abstract

Rooming-in and the shorter hospital stay of the mother and baby after delivery has shifted umbilical cord care from the midwife/nurse to the mother who is afraid to do it. In our unit umbilical cords are treated with 70% Isopropyl alcohol at every nappie change. In spite of this, we still get a considerable number of moist and foul smelling cords. The purpose of this study was to test if "cords that are left alone will dry up and separate before cords that are treated with 70% Isopropyl alcohol". The study sample was made up of 107 babies born by lower segment cesarian section between 22th June 1991 and 25th August 1991. Babies were randomly put in the experimental (no alcohol) or the control (using alcohol) group. Cord thickness was measured in all infants. The babies were followed up until cord separation. In the experimental group, cords separated before (mean 6.21 vs 6.76 days) and were drier than cords in the control group. The hypothesis was found to be correct but was not supported statistically. Mothers in the experimental group were happier because they did not have to handle the cord.