Table 7 Quantitative and qualitative findings on cord care by country
Country | Percent applying substances to the cord | Main reasons for application |
|---|---|---|
Ethiopia | 32% used something to dress the cord [19] 35% applied something immediately after the cord is cut (27% for home and 53% for facility) 17% applied butter [31] | Help the cord dry, prevent wind from entering the baby, prevent pain and bad smell [10]. Soften and keep the cord moist, protect from wounds/infections and help heal [42] |
Ghana | 92% applied something (home deliveries) 31% applied hospital medicine 47% applied shea butter [40] | Make the cord drop fast to reduce discomfort for mother and baby [25, 40] and make baby human [25] Keep soft and wet to heal internal sores [40], stop bad smells [25], reduce illness and death [40] |
Malawi | No information | Make the cord drop fast to shorten the confinement period, keep the cord soft/moist to reduce bleeding and infection [16] |
Mali | 90% applied something [29] | No information |
Mozambique | 15% applied something (home delivery) [20], substances varied by district and included herbs, spirit and oil | No information |
Nigeria | No information | Prevent infection [12] |
Senegal | No information | Dry the cord, prevent wind and water from entering the baby causing sickness [26] |
Tanzania | 28% applied something 8% applied traditional medicine 7% applied oil [21] | Make cord dry [43], drop fast to reduce period of vulnerability [44] and keep the baby healthy [43] |
Uganda | 49% applied something 22% applied powder 11% applied salt water [24] 79% applied something 62% applied powder 7% salt water 6% herbs [23] | Make the cord drop fast so the mother can return to chores [30, 34], to reduce period of vulnerability and make baby human [35] and stop afterbirth pains [34] Dry the cord [18, 34], stop the cord going bad/heal the cord/prevent infections [18, 34, 35], help the baby sleep [30] |
Zambia | No information | Dry the cord to make it drop fast and shorten the period of vulnerability, reduce afterbirth pains Make the cord soft/moist to prevent cracking and bleeding, prevent and treat infection [45] |