Comparing the Effect of Topical Application of Human Milk and Dry Cord Care on Umbilical Cord Separation Time in Healthy Newborn Infants

Objective: Comparing the effect of topical human milk application and dry cord care on cord separation time.
Methods: This research was a randomized clinical trial study on 130 singleton and mature newborns. Newborns were placed randomly in groups of topical application of human milk and dry cord care. The umbilical separation time was compared in the two groups. Data was analyzed by SPSS software. Independent Samples t-Test, X², Fisher were used in this study.
Findings: Median time of cord separation in human milk application group (150.95±28.68 hours) was significantly shorter than dry cord care group (180.93±37.42 hours) (P <0.001).
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, cheap and non invasive way for cord care.