“The cord is the child”: meanings and practices related to umbilical cord care in Central Uganda
Open accessAbstract
Background: Infections account for a quarter of all newborn deaths and the umbilical cord has been identified as a major route of newborn infections. Objective: To explore the meanings and practices related to the umbilical cord among caretakers of newborns in central Uganda. Methods: This was a qualitative study, designed to inform the design, and interpretation of a randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of chlorhexidine use for the umbilical cord. We conducted 22 in-depth interviews exploring umbilical cord care practices among ten mothers, four health workers, five traditional birth attendants, and three men. We also conducted three focus group discussions with young mothers and elderly women. We used qualitative content analysis to analyze our findings and we borrow upon Mary Douglas’ concepts of dirt to present our findings. Results: The umbilical cord had a symbolic position in newborn care. The way it was perceived and handled had far reaching consequences for the survival and wellbeing of the baby. The umbilical cord was a centre of anxiety, a possible gate to illness, a test of fatherhood and a signifier of parental responsibility. Hence, the umbilical cord and the way it was cared for played a part in the present and future survival of the baby, as well as the survival and wellbeing of the household. Persons other than the mother such as older female relatives were very influential in the care of the umbilical cord. Conclusions: The umbilical cord carried symbolic meanings, which extended beyond the newborn and the newborn period, and in turn influenced the various practices of umbilical cord care. The important position of the cord in local newborn care practices should be recognized and taken into consideration when scaling up newborn care interventions in the country.
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Sustainable ways of cord care were devised as a homemade saline solution.
“sustainable ways of cord care were devised as a homemade saline solution [28, 29].”
From Women’s perceptions of midwifery continuity of care provided by bachelor of midwifery students from a public university in Northern Uganda: a descriptive qualitative study (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
The Cord care practices section (page unavailable) lists normal saline among substances applied to cord stumps. It does not say the saline was homemade or that it was devised as a sustainable cord-care method. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredWomen in the local settings are often tempted to apply other herbal concoctions that may predispose the cord to infections.
“Considering that women in the local settings are often tempted to apply other herbal concoctions that may predispose the cord to infections”
Cord care recommendations for daily 7.1% chlorhexidine solution are not always possible in our settings due to unavailability of these solutions.
“The cord care recommendations for a daily 7.1% chlorhexidine solution are not always possible in our settings due to the unavailability of these solutions.”
From Women’s perceptions of midwifery continuity of care provided by bachelor of midwifery students from a public university in Northern Uganda: a descriptive qualitative study (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
The Methods (page unavailable) mention a chlorhexidine cord-care trial, but do not state a daily 7.1% recommendation or that the solution was unavailable. Searches for “7.1%,” daily use, and chlorhexidine availability found no passage addressing those claims. (LLM, conf=0.74)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Mukunya, D., Haaland, M. E. S., Tumwine, J. K., Tylleskar, T., Nankabirwa, V., & Moland, K. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Makerere University (UG)
- Corresponding author
- Mukunya, David
- Venue
- BMC Pediatrics
- Published
- 2020-03-04
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 105-105
- ISSN
- 1471-2431 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7057479
- OpenAlex
- W3009189613
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 4.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Pediatrics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Greater South Information System
- Funders
- GLOBVAC (234500)
- Research Council of Norway (223269)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Speech and Hearing › Neonatal skin health care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
- Keywords
- umbilical cord care, neonatal care practices, neonatal infection, chlorhexidine, traditional birth attendants, household decision-making
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Anti-Infective Agents, Local, Child, Chlorhexidine, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Pregnancy, Symbolism, Uganda, Umbilical Cord
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