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  |  Baby  |  Health  |  Umbilical cord problems
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Umbilical cord problems

by Dr Howard Lee

question
My daughter is 10 weeks old and still has a small piece of umbilical cord attached.
It looks like a small red blister just inside her tummy button. My GP has been applying silver nitrate on a weekly basis but it appears to have no effect -apart from making her skin go black. She has been referred to the pediatrician at our local hospital but I have not got an appointment yet - what further treatment can I expect? Is it likely
to cause any future problems?

answer
It sounds as if the umbilical blood vessels at the base of the cord have not quite sealed and a small piece of the tissue failed to come off - despite the attempts to 'cauterise' the tissue with silver nitrate - which usually does the trick.
In most cases, the normal course of 'action' is to wait and let nature sort things out. If after examination, the pediatrician decides that the stump does need to be tidied up because of the remaining vestigial tissue, it will be a simple procedure. Whatever the outcome, there should be no long-term problems for your little one.
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