The effect of bathing or not bathing on umbilical cord complications and separation time in a newborn

The research was conducted to evaluate whether bathing or not bathing newborns had an effect on umbilical cord complications and separation time. 153 newborns who were born at Rize State Hospital between February 2023 and May 2024 and met the inclusion criteria for the study were included in the study. In the study, the Introductory Information Form was filled out by the researcher face to face in the patient room on the first day before the mothers were discharged. When the parents went to their Family Health Center in the city center to give heel blood, a second follow-up was made, and the newborn's bathing status and whether or not the umbilical cord was cared for were filled in here, according to the information received from the family and the umbilical cord symptoms. Data were then collected by interviewing the families, whose contact information was obtained, once a week until the umbilical cord fell off. The data obtained from the research were analyzed using the SPSS 24.0 package program. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U Test and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in the evaluation of the data. In the study, the average time for the umbilical cord to fall off in newborns was 7.2 days. The rate of those who waited for the umbilical cord to fall off for the first bath was high (64.1%). It was observed that no routine care was applied until the umbilical cord fell off (43.8%), and newborns who were bathed (35.9%) did not receive any care after bathing (62.1%). It was observed that when the diapers of newborns were changed frequently (10-15 times a day) and the umbilical cord was tied to stay on the diaper, the falling time was shortened and was statistically significant (p<0.05). As a result, it was found that bathing or not bathing the newborn did not affect the umbilical cord fall-off time and complications. Therefore, it is recommended not to pressure parents on whether to take a bath or not.