Vulnerable To Infections That Cause Death, This Is How To Care For The Baby Center Rope

Baby Care (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The World Heath Organization (WHO) estimates that a quarter of neonatal deaths (deaths before babies aged one month) in the world are caused by infection, 75 percent of which occur in the first week of a baby's life with a central rope as its gateway.

Pediatrician from Sebelas Maret Surakarta University, dr. Dini Safitri Zahara, Sp.A. explained how to care for the central rope or better known as the umbilical cord in newborns in order to avoid the risk of infection and other complications.

"The baby's center track will dry up and release when the baby is one to three weeks after its birth," said Dini, quoted from ANTARA, Tuesday, September 19.

The doctor, who is a member of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), explained that the lower part of the central rope is a natural part of the baby's growth and development that connects the baby with the placenta in the uterus. The central rope is made of blood vessels and ikat tissue to help transport nutrients and oxygen and transport baby waste ingredients to be dumped through the mother's kidneys.

Upon birth, the cutting of the center rope will physically and symbolically separate the mother and her baby. Then, the spine of the center rope will dry up and fall out, so that the wound from the rest of the central rope that sticks to the baby can heal.

The central cord is an important place for bacterial colonization, so there is a possibility that from the colonization of these bacteria there is a central rope spine infection. In fact, the risk of infection can increase until the spine is released.

Before this central rope is inputted (off), there are several things that mother needs to pay attention to, namely ideal care to care for the baby's center rope and choose the right diapers," said the doctor who took child specialist education at Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta.

When a baby is born, the central rope will be cut off by health workers and the end will be cleaned using alcohol swabs or cassava with 70 percent alcohol. In principle, it is important to always strive for the central rope to be dry, not moist, and clean.

So, parents don't need to clean it with soap or other fluids. While bathing the baby, parents only need to slowly clean the baby's stomach area with warm water, dry it and leave it open without being covered with cash or otherwise.

In addition, choose the right diapers for the baby. When using baby diapers, always try to keep the center rope from being covered with diapers, so as to avoid friction, urine and feces that can cause infection.

Choosing diapers with spot U in the stomach is the right decision for newborns because it can reduce the friction of the baby's central rope with diapers, so that it can reduce the risk of infection in the baby. The central rope that is not covered by diapers is not easily damped, so it is hoped that it can dry and release faster.

"Central tracks exposed to urine and feces in baby diapers can trigger the risk of infection caused by bacteria, viruses, and other dangerous organisms," said the doctor who is now practicing in this Kranggan Healthy Pregnancy.