Umbilical cord, circumcision care

Umbilical cord care

Your baby's umbilical cord stump will fall off within 1 to 2 weeks of life. Keep it clean and dry. Wash around the base of the cord once a day and dry it with a Q-tip. As the cord begins to fall off, it normally may bleed or ooze a few drops of light yellow fluid for several days. Please call us if your baby's cord develops a white shiny knob, called a "granuloma," or if your baby's stump oozes pus, or turns red, hot or swollen.

Circumcision care

Circumcised boys may be fussy the day of their circumcision. If your baby is upset, give him infant Tylenol (See our dosing chart). Watch for excessive bleeding (more than the size of a half-dollar in the diaper), pus, redness or worsening swelling. Call us immediately if you detect a problem.

Gomco care (Dr. Bradshaw)

The head, also called the glans, of the penis will be red and raw, and the edge of the skin where it was cut will be swollen for at least a week. A few days into healing, yellow plaques will appear on the glans. Do not remove them.

In addition, you should:

• Unwrap the gauze a few hours after arriving home.
• Apply Polysporin to the tip and the circumcised edge of the skin three times a day for one week.
• Look at the head of the penis every day. Sometimes, the shaft of the penis becomes buried in the fat layer and the skin remaining on the penis wants to jump up and re-adhere to the glans. You can prevent this by gently pushing down near the penis to reveal the entire head, once a day.

PlastiBell care (Dr. Velarde)

The plastic ring will form a dark scab. Let the scab and ring fall off on their own. No extra care is needed. Call our office if the ring slips down the shaft of the penis or if the ring stays on beyond 10 days.

Care of the uncircumcised penis

An uncircumcised penis requires no special care. The foreskin will remain adherent for months or years, so do not pull it back forcefully. Gently clean the penis whenever you bathe him.