Care of the umbilical cord in the newborn : mothers' knowledge

Abstract

Our society expects mothers to care for their newborns' umbilical cord even if most of the time they feel uncomfortable in doing so. Locally, common practice has shifted from the use of triple dye or alcohol to what is referred to as 'dry care'. However, many other forms of umbilical cord treatment still exist. A universal consensus on what is the most appropriate type of umbilical cord care has not yet been reached and thus, varying ideas and information can be obtained from different people. The purpose of this study was to assess mothers' knowledge about caring for their infants' umbilical cord. The study sample was made up of 25 first time mothers who gave birth between the 5th and 29th of January, 2007. The mothers were asked to fill in a questionnaire. A follow up telephone call was also made to all participants to gain an understanding of whether what they knew was actually put into practice even when they went home. The results indicate that the majority of mothers do have knowledge when it comes to caring for the newborns' umbilical cord. However, in general they feel hesitant in doing so and have various concerns and fears about the cord itself. Hence, knowledge is somewhat lacking in certain areas. The participants were seen to have different sources of knowledge and some explained that conflicting information had been obtained.