To my new-mother eye, my first child’s cord stump looked downright dangerous: it was red and puffy and stuck out precariously from his tiny belly. My job was to prevent infection by keeping it clean and dry until it fell off. I folded the diaper below that future bellybutton and dabbed it with alcohol to kill bacteria.
But what I really wanted was a product to help it not only heal but heal well—to reduce the swelling that could make my baby uncomfortable and promote healing at the same time.
A recent study[1] showed that ancient plants like Arnica montana (or simply, arnica) have been widely used in healing for hundreds of years and are fundamental to the effectiveness of modern complementary medicine. Arnica is the go-to healer of wounds because it helps with the pain, stiffness, and swelling associated with trauma[2] (like difficult births) and postoperative conditions (like incisions from cesareans).
A baby’s cord stump is a natural wound from birth. The stump will fall off within a couple of weeks, but until it does you need to keep it dry, clean, protected against rubbing from the diaper, and exposed to the air to prevent infection.
Redness and swelling from inadequate umbilical care can lead to infection of the stump. Left unattended, a small infection can progress into destroying baby’s abdominal wall tissue or stimulating an over-reaction from his body that causes life-threatening sepsis[3].
For preemies who should still be growing inside but are now trying to manage life outside your protective womb, such an infection can challenge their extremely sensitive systems at a time when they don’t have their defenses up and running, and are struggling to just grow.
What you put on your baby’s porous, thin skin is easily absorbed
Most baby skincare products—even those used in the hospital—are loaded with chemicals and toxins that make products last for years on the shelf, smell like peaches, or feel creamy. Every one of these chemicals can challenge your baby’s endocrine, nervous, digestive, immune, or respiratory systems, and diminish their ability to grow well.
But using healing products from naturally-derived plant sources helps removes that toxic impact, giving your baby an extra health boost instead of a health challenge. Naturally-derived ingredients feed their from the skin in, supporting their growth and their skin’s vibrant balance.
That’s why BEB Organic searched the world for ancient medicinal plants and healthful ingredients to help speed healing without resorting to chemicals and toxins.
Our world-class team of chemists and botanists source raw plant materials for our Soothing Serum (formerly named Healing Gel) from local farms where each ingredient is carefully grown, harvested, and processed to maintain the highest, most luxurious organic quality:
- Arnica grown in the Swiss alps to reduce swelling and pain
- Cypress from California to help speed healing
- Elderberry foraged in Ireland and full of toxin-fighting anthocyanins
- Myrrh from Somalia to heal damaged skin
- Microbiota (sodium hyaluronate) to support skin hydration, keep skin soft and supple, and promote wound healing
- Probiotics to manage inflammation and support long-term skin resilience
What’s a probiotic? Pro = good, biotic = bacteria.
Probiotics are live, good bacteria that are essential for our health. Yep, we just said good bacteria!! Most of us only know about bad bacteria—the kind that can create umbilical cord stump infection.
But today’s science[4] abounds with information on how much we have, need or want probiotics in our guts, as well as their long reach of influence.
The balance and combination of good and bad bacteria in our body is called our microbiome.
What’s got some scientists (including us!) excited is the direct link between the microbiome of our guts with our brain, internal systems, and skin.
Your gut microbiome communicates with your skin via the gut-skin axis. Probiotics act as antimicrobials that attack bad bacteria, killing them before they can cause inflammation.
Science has discovered the gut-skin connection helps regulate:
- oxidative stress that causes inflammation
- inflammation that causes most disease
- tissue lipid levels that maintain healthy metabolism
- glycemic control that balances blood sugar
- neuropeptide levels that affect mood, pain tolerance, and the body’s homeostasis (balance)
- pathogenic bacteria control that prevents sickness
- mood-regulating neurotransmitters (like serotonin) that make us feel happy
Soothing Serum creates a robust vitamin-mineral concentrate that enhances the probiotic flora (healthy bacteria) on your baby’s skin
Smoothing probiotic-enhanced skincare on your baby feeds their internal biology from the outside in.
With daily use, BEB Organic Soothing Serum helps naturally
- accelerate healing
- soothe irritation
- prevent infection
- diminish redness
- reduce inflammation
- moisturize without blocking pores
All this can help your baby’s umbilical cord heal well and keep them comfortable.
Soothing Serum is designed to create comfort for your baby and peace of mind for you by knowing you’re giving them the safest, most nutritious skincare to help stimulate growth, build strength, and maintain balance.
No matter which BEB Organic products you use, you’re giving your baby and yourself the very best – in skincare, in health, and in environmental responsibility for the earth on which your little one will grow.
[1] https://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-12-100
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5104438/
