Iris Publishers- Open access journal of  Nursing & Care | The Effect of Topical Application of Mother Breast Milk Versus Distilled Water and Alcohol on Separation Time of Umbilical Cord Stump Among Neonates

Authored by Abeer Abd El-Aziz Madian

Umbilical cord infections donate to the increased morbidity and mortality in neonates of developing countries, where neonates are exposed to unhygienic practices. The aim of the study was to monitor the effect of topical application of breast milk compared to distilled water and alcohol on separation time of umbilical cord stump among neonates.
Methods: This research was a randomized clinical trial done on 90 mature neonates that were placed randomly in the three groups of study. The umbilical cord separation time was compared in the three groups.
Results: Mean time of cord separation in human milk application group (6.72±1.66) was significantly shorter than distilled water and alcohol groups. Moreover, the bleeding continuation after separation (day) was significantly shorter (p<0.001) among breast milk group than distilled water group and majority of neonates among the 3 groups didn’t have any signs of umbilical cord infection.
Conclusion: Topical application of human milk on the remaining part of the cord reduces the cord separation time and it can be used as an easy and cheap way for cord care.
The umbilical cord is a sole tissue containing two arteries and one vein enclosed by a connective tissue called Wharton’s Jelly which is thin and mucoid in nature. After delivery of the neonate and placental separation, the umbilical cord is cut using a sterile technique and the neonate must make the essential transition to extra-uterine life. The umbilical cord must be cut and clamped in order to retain the umbilical vessels occluded to prevent bleeding [1].

Hereafter, the umbilical cord is the life giver for the fetus but at the same time it could be a life destroyer of the neonates by acquiring infection through the vessels into the neonate’s blood stream. So, corrected umbilical cord care is important to prevent infections in neonatal period [2]. Despite the fact that there is a general agreement about the ‘clean’ technique for cutting the cord using a sterile cutting instrument (blade or scissors) and clean hands to avoid infection, there is less agreement on what is the best care of the cord stump [3].

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