Question: Should I Be Worried About Yellow Discharge from my Baby's Umbilical Cord?
A reader asks:
"After the cord stump falls off is it normal for there to be significant yellowish discharge? I am just worried about infection. Can you give me any pointers or reassurance?"
Answer: While it's OK for a little bit of dried blood or discharge to appear either while waiting for the stump to fall off or even after it has fallen off, what you have described is a significant yellowish discharge and that can definitely be a sign of infection. You should call your pediatrician or other health care provider to rule this out.
Before calling, make sure you take some notes about your baby's general health and observe your baby for the symptoms listed below which can also indicate infection:
- redness and swelling around the navel
- fever
- any sign that the area is bringing pain to your baby, for example, during diaper changes or if you press lightly around the navel
- a foul smell in the area
Do you have a question you'd like to see answered? You can send your questions to me at babyparenting.guide@about.com and I will answer them here on the site.
