A cord infection (or 'omphalitis' pronounced om-fa-lie-tiss) is quite rare in western countries. It is thought to be around 0.002 to 0.015% (or 2 to 15 per 1,000 babies). If 1 to 2 cms of the skin surrounding the baby's belly button becomes red, swollen and inflamed, this could be a sign of a cord infection. If the infection becomes severe, it can be life threatening for the baby. If you are concerned about the area around your baby's cord, contact your caregiver.
In the past, our mothers were told to put solutions or powders onto the baby's cord to help with preventing infections. The treatments have varied over the years, but included alcohol, methylated spirits, iodine, antibiotics, dyes or antiseptics. More natural alternatives have included witch hazel.
It is now known that applying any such treatments makes no difference at all to the incidence of cord infections. In fact some caregivers have now expressed concerns about how much of these chemicals were absorbed into the baby's system through the cord stump. The current approach is to just keep the cord relatively clean and use plain water (if anything) to care for the cord until it separates.
Factors that can contribute to the development of a cord infection can include: