UMBILICAL STUMP CARE IN NEWBORNS: IS BREAST MILK AS EFFECTIVE AS CONVENTIONAL METHODS

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Infectious disease prevention
• Public health

Background:

• Umbilical cord care is crucial to prevent infections like omphalitis and sepsis.
• Common practices include antiseptics and dry care, but breast milk is culturally prevalent due to its properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of breast milk, open dry care, soap-and-water cleansing, and alcohol for umbilical cord care.
• To evaluate differences in cord separation time and omphalitis incidence.

Main Methods:

• A prospective randomized trial involving 200 healthy newborns assigned to four care groups (n=50 each).
• Infants were monitored for cord separation, and omphalitis was diagnosed clinically.
• Statistical analysis included ANOVA, Chi-square, and non-parametric tests.

Main Results:

• Omphalitis rates were comparable across all groups: breast milk (4.25%), open dry care (6.6%), soap and water (4.5%), and alcohol (2.17%).
• Mean cord separation times varied from 11.8 days (soap and water) to 14.5 days (open dry care).
• Soap-and-water cleansing showed significantly faster separation compared to open dry care (p=0.049).

Conclusions:

• No statistically significant differences in omphalitis incidence were observed among the four umbilical cord care methods.
• Soap-and-water cleansing promotes faster and more consistent umbilical cord separation compared to open dry care.