Off With His Stump!

I have to admit that throughout Jill's pregnancy, I was dreading dealing with Milo's umbilical cord stump. I looked at pictures of other babies' stumps to try and desensitize myself, to no avail. As Jill’s pregnancy progressed, just the thought of touching and cleaning that withered, blackened thing grossed me out.

Then, Milo was born, the nurse swabbed his stump with whatever ointment turned it black, and…well, strangely, it didn’t bother me. Day after day, changing after changing, sponge bath after sponge bath, I kept waiting for it to become foul. For a long time, though, it didn’t. Yet, finally, it did, about two days ago, when I first noticed that it was only hanging on by a single, sinewy thread. Worse yet, what I could see underneath was even more disgusting. It stank and looked like a bunch of mucousy…gunky…goo (yes that is its scientific name).

This morning, as Milo cried on the changing table, I contemplated severing the thing and giving the whole area a good cleaning. I mean, there aren’t any nerves in there; it wouldn’t hurt him. But, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead I dressed him and Jill and I took him to his and Jill’s appointment with some study they’re in. Once there, the doctor asked me to undress him and lo and behold…it had fallen off!!! The doctor then handed me the stump (I quickly forced it on Jill), cleaned the area up, and now, fifteen days after his birth, the whole traumatic experience is behind all of us (Jill wouldn’t even really look at it).


Feast your eyes on Milo the Stumpless:





Unrelated, but just because he's cute: