This is an automatically translated article.
The article was consulted with Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi My Linh - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.At birth, a baby's penis has an extra layer of protective skin called the foreskin. Proper hygiene of the foreskin of a newborn is very important to prevent infection, especially after the baby is circumcised.
1. Caring for an uncircumcised newborn
If your son is not circumcised, for the first few months you should only clean his foreskin in the shower with soap and water, just like the rest of the diaper area. After bathing or each diaper change, wipe the area clean to help keep your baby dry. Allow your baby's foreskin to retract naturally.Also, see your doctor if the foreskin appears red, painful, and itchy or if you can see a buildup of urine under the foreskin. This could be a sign of infection or inflammation of the lacrimal sac (inflammation of the foreskin and head of the penis). Besides, white discharge from below the foreskin is called a newborn wound and is completely normal. Skin cells shed spontaneously and are concentrated underneath, always being ejected from below the foreskin. Parents simply need to gently wipe away this discharge while bathing or changing diapers.
Some things to avoid when cleaning a baby's foreskin include:
Pulling hard on the foreskin to separate it: the foreskin is almost always attached to the glans in babies, toddlers and children small, if pulled hard can cause pain, bleeding or permanent damage to the penis. The natural separation of the foreskin from the glans can take many years. Cleaning underneath the foreskin with a special antiseptic, ointment, or cream can damage the penis.
Vệ sinh bao quy đầu cho bé sơ sinh không nên kéo mạnh bao quy đầu để tách nó ra
2. Caring for a circumcised newborn
At birth, the penis has an extra layer of skin that protects the foreskin called the foreskin. Most of the time in infancy, the foreskin remains attached to the tip of the penis. As the baby gets older, the foreskin begins to separate from the head of the penis naturally. In some babies, retraction of the foreskin can occur before they are born, although these cases are rare. This natural separation of the foreskin will occur within months or even years. Your child will be the best judge when this happens, all children discover their genitals, so your child should be the first to discover they can retract on their own. Once the foreskin is easily retracted, you can teach your son how to clean the foreskin by gently pulling the foreskin back, cleaning underneath with soap and water, rinsing and dry then put the foreskin back in place (don't let it retract on its own).However, in some cases, parents often choose to circumcise their children. This procedure can be done in the hospital on the second or third day after birth, but can be done after discharge during the first week postpartum. The doctor will then apply a light, gauze-like bandage with lubricating ointment to the tip of the penis. The next time your baby urinates, the dressing will usually come off. Some pediatricians recommend keeping the bandage clean until the penis is completely healed, some experts recommend discarding it. The most important thing when cleaning a newborn's foreskin is to keep the area as clean as possible. Change pads after using diapers to prevent infection. If stool gets on the tip of the penis, gently wipe it with soap and water during diaper changes. The tip of the penis may look quite red and yellow for the first few days, this is normal and it helps the wound to heal. Tell the doctor if any of the following occur:
After circumcision the child does not urinate for 6-8 hours The bleeding does not stop Redness that gets worse after a few days Swelling , yellow sores that crust over or drain pus from the penis. In summary, cleaning the foreskin for a newborn is relatively easy, but it is essential to help the wound heal quickly, avoid infection when circumcising the baby, as well as avoid infection. genitalia in children. Therefore, mothers should wash the foreskin gently with soap and water, dry it and change diapers often to keep the area dry.
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