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Slow to Fall Off Cord
Slow to Fall Off Cord
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Q: I have read that there are some rare immune problems associated with slow-fo-fall-off cords. Do you know what these problems might be? My son's cord didn't fall off until 5-1/2 weeks. The doctor wasn't concerned.
A: A cord that takes much longer than usual to fall off can be associated with a white blood cell disorder (numbers of white cells are too low and may make the baby at higher risk for infections). Usually after 4 weeks, I will pursue a complete blood count (doctors call this a CBC). It is a blood test, and counts the white blood cells. Most of the time when I have done this, the blood test is normal. However, a child who does have a problem, and it is picked up early, can have the benefit of being watched more carefully for infections. I would discuss it with your doctor again if it has still not fallen off.
Christine Wood, MD
KidsEatGreat, Inc
drwood@kidseatgreat.com
www.kidseatgreat.com
Click here to Ask Dr. Christine Wood questions about your baby's health
Dr. Christine Wood is a practicing pediatrician in Southern California. She attended the University of Detroit for her undergraduate degree in chemistry and received her medical degree from the University of Michigan. She completed her pediatric residency at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. She was Chief Resident there and then worked in the emergency room at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. After three years doing pediatric emergency room medicine she went into private practice. She received her lactation educator certification from the University of California, San Diego.
She is the author of "How to Get Kids to Eat Great and Love It," a book that addresses the issues of why and how to feed kids healthy. The book also covers information about environmental threats and the role of nutritional supplementation for children. She lives in Southern California with her husband and son.
Christine is also the cofounder of Call Your Ped.com a website designed to give concerned parents with non-emergency medical questions, solid, no-nonsense information that can give them information in deciding when to call the doctor and some home treatment advice. You can visit her website at http://www.callyourped.com
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