When to cut the cord?

[Bessie]

Hi guys
I found a site yesterday which recommended delivering the placenta naturally and waiting a while to allow cord blood to finish draining back to bubs, while allowing bubby time for cuddles and to chill after all that being squashed and pushed out into the world. Last time my DS was whisked off for meconium to be sucked out, he spat it out (clever lad!) and hubby cut the cord just before. I had an injection to speed up the placenta delivery, which was hardly noticeable after deliverying DS. I wonder if the medical staff would allow skin to skin contact... if there are no other necessary interventions... if all goes well I'd love for them to wait a bit for their medical tests etc. because there seems to be quite a lot of research to back up delayed cord cutting and assessments.
Here's the link... http://www.pregnancy.com.au/leaving_well_alone_a_natural_approach_to_the_third _stage_of_labour.htm
BTW If you want giggle, read the bit on lotus birth, where you take bubs and the placenta home... it goes a bit too far for me!

[Funkychicken]

I chose to leave the cord intact after our last bub's birth. The midwives were great about it. I delivered the placenta pretty quickly and then DH cut the cord. The only thing is you are the only one who can hold the bub until the placenta is delivered. I found this perfect as I didn;'t want to let him go anyway! :D

[shed]

DP is under instructions not to cut until the cord stops pulsing. Obviously if bubby has to be whisked away for anything urgent it won't matter, just cut it.

[cosmic]

I have chosen not to cut the cord until after the placenta has been delivered. All the routine tests can be done while the baby is having skin to skin contact with you - you just need to tell them that is what you want. It's YOUR birth after all. :thumbsup:

I think it makes much more sense to at least leave the cord until it stops pulsating and the baby has had a chance to transition to breathing through its lungs. Not to mention cutting the cord early deprives them of up to 50% of their blood supply (forget where I read that). So I'm all for leaving it alone. :)

Edited to add: And I will be delivering the placenta spontaneously as well. No injections.

[Bessie]

Thank guys, I'm all for being open minded incase other things occur, but I'm going to put it in the birth plan now... it's going to be a long one lol!

BTW I think you're right cosmic... it's in the link :)
"It is estimated that early clamping deprives the baby of 54 to 160 ml of blood, (Usher 1963) which represents up to half of a baby’s total blood volume at birth. “Clamping the cord before the infant’s first breath results in blood being sacrificed from other organs to establish pulmonary perfusion. [Blood supply to the lungs]. "

[Supermum]

BTW If you want giggle, read the bit on lotus birth, where you take bubs and the placenta home... it goes a bit too far for me!
My first bub's cord was cut after it stopped pulsating ... the second after I had delivered the placenta which was long after the cord stopped pulsating. I was holding her to my breast with one hand and had a pair of scissors in the other.

On Lotus Birth: Women who choose Lotus Birth are generally home-birthers so it's not a case of lugging a placenta home with the baby. You're already there. The more I read about it, the more natural the process seems. Some may find the practice cringeworthy but only because it's not common. There's nothing actually wrong with it and who's to say that it's not beneficial for bub. It's certainly not harmful:) .

[Bessie]

My first bub's cord was cut after it stopped pulsating ... the second after I had delivered the placenta which was long after the cord stopped pulsating. I was holding her to my breast with one hand and had a pair of scissors in the other.

On Lotus Birth: Women who choose Lotus Birth are generally home-birthers so it's not a case of lugging a placenta home with the baby. You're already there. The more I read about it, the more natural the process seems. Some may find the practice cringeworthy but only because it's not common. There's nothing actually wrong with it and who's to say that it's not beneficial for bub. It's certainly not harmful:) .

Thanks Supermum... sorry, I didn't mean to offend!

[Supermum]

Absolutely no offence taken Bessie. I can see how, to the uninitiated, Lotus Birth seems like a whacked out hippy thing to do.:)

[becca74]

I'm definately going to leave the cord attached for the longest possible period - most likely after the placenta is delivered, but then I see no rush :) (but I dont know if I have the patience for a lotus birth, expecially with 3 other kids!)

I heard a story once of a midwife who was attending a homebirth, and the little bubba was having a little trouble starting to breathe.....the cord hadnt stopped pulsing, so she didnt raise the alarm with the mother. The cord continued to pulse for about an hour and a half, whilst the placenta was still in the mother, and stopped pulsing the minute that the baby started to breathe normally, and then the placenta spontaneously came out.....

So I figure, let the baby get the good stuff from the placenta as long as it can :thumbsup: It obviously needs it for a reason.....

[Goosie22]

I heard a story once of a midwife who was attending a homebirth, and the little bubba was having a little trouble starting to breathe.....the cord hadnt stopped pulsing, so she didnt raise the alarm with the mother. The cord continued to pulse for about an hour and a half, whilst the placenta was still in the mother, and stopped pulsing the minute that the baby started to breathe normally, and then the placenta spontaneously came out.....

So I figure, let the baby get the good stuff from the placenta as long as it can :thumbsup: It obviously needs it for a reason.....

That is the exact reason not to cut the cord ASAP, even if the baby needs to be suctioned due to meconium or resusitated for some reason. The Doctors can do all their work right behind you on the floor or bed. Its just a matter of them repositioning themselves to suit you and your baby. And it really is bennificial to leave the cord attached as while the pulse is still active the baby is recieving Oxygen from you.

[Funkychicken]

We chose not to take Hamish's placenta home but i know a few parents who did. Some bury it under a plant to celebrate the new life. One friend I know of still has her 3rd baby's placenta in the freezer-he's 18months now! She hasn't yet decided where to bury it.

[Starlet]

Wow...I wish I had known this when I had my two kids! They pretty much told my ex to cut it right after bub came out!

Thanks so much for this, I will definitely take that on board when I have the next one!

[Bessie]

That is the exact reason not to cut the cord ASAP, even if the baby needs to be suctioned due to meconium or resusitated for some reason. The Doctors can do all their work right behind you on the floor or bed. Its just a matter of them repositioning themselves to suit you and your baby. And it really is bennificial to leave the cord attached as while the pulse is still active the baby is recieving Oxygen from you.


Cool, that kind of thing makes me want to make it more definate now, I'm really glad I started this thread :yelclap:
Thanks to all who have contributed x

[shed]

Absolutely no offence taken Bessie. I can see how, to the uninitiated, Lotus Birth seems like a whacked out hippy thing to do.:)

ha ha Cute.

[Issey]

I had a VERY fast labour and the cord was being cut by DH before I could blink an eye! I would have prefered for it to have stopped pulsating but I didn't actually see it or wasn't asked.

My placenta took nearly 2 hours to deliver so I was being prepared for surgery, fortunately it came out just in time and very interesting it was joined like two so the doctors were more interested in that than me or bubs!

I think the key is to stay open minded as you just can't plan every detail.

[faery]

i had a water birth and planned to let the cord stop pulsating before it was cut, but bubba's had to go for re-sus so it was cut very quickly. my placenta came out really quickly, the midwife reckons it was cause my body knew i had to go and be with my baby. wasn't quite according to plan! we took the placenta home and the hospital kept it in the freezer for us until we left.

[Notchalk]

When the placenta is still inside and the cord is cut early, the placenta stays full of the blood that the baby should have had - so that's bad for the baby, as well as for the mother, as the placenta is more likely to get stuck if it is bigger (full of blood).

With the cord left to give the baby oxygenated blood, there should be no need to cut it for resuscitation... suction can be done with bubs on mum's tummy, and bubs is less likely to gasp a lung full of mec if he is getting oxygen from the placenta still.

Just my 2c :)

Jo (who had her placenta in the freezer for MONTHS, and it has now gone missing :( I was going to plant it on my son's first birthday...)

[JnA]

I'm a little fuzzy on the details but I'm pretty sure Jade's cord wasn't cut for a while. I remember the midwife putting her straight on my chest when she was born, and it seemed like quite a while before the doctor (I had two of them in there) told DP to cut the cord... but then I was lost in a couple of little eyes, so the time stopped for me.





Jo (who had her placenta in the freezer for MONTHS, and it has now gone missing ...)

erm why am I having vision of a strange meal being served up at your place?
;)

[shed]

erm why am I having vision of a strange meal being served up at your place?
;)

Same here!

[cosmic]

I thought the same thing. :laughing:

Actually, we weren't planning to bring the placenta home but just this week I decided I definitely want to. I'm going to bury it and plant a tree. :)

[tickle]

Careful where you bury it C. I hear dogs love placentas!:p

[Tam-I-Am]

Gosh, I really wish I'd known this when DD was born. I would have insisted that they wait to cut the cord until it had stopped pulsing. Why oh why do the medical profession interfere, where its not necessary and not more beneficial for anyone?

I'm a bit upset, feeling as though we did the wrong thing by our bubba - but having said that, she is a happy, healthy 10 month old, so it can't have had a massive impact on her.....but still:(

[Notchalk]

It was in a "Crunchie" Ice cream container. EVERYONE was aware of what it was. I think someone just chucked it out:(

[Funkychicken]

Careful where you bury it C. I hear dogs love placentas!:p
:eek: Totally agree. You must bury it deep. As an example, we breed horses and the quickest and easiet way to dispose of the placenta's is to leave them in the paddock where the mare foaled. By morning the foxes have taken care of them! Unfortinately our labrador has a liking for them too and if she is around, she gets to them before the foxes can!:barf:
The worst thing she did was dig up the bosses dog who had died a week earlier:eek: . She turned up on our doorstep with the pelvis! I very quickly disposed of that one.

[Goosie22]

Another thing to consider is Breastfeeding releases the hormone that is responsible for contracting your uterus, so instead of having the Sytocinon or Sytometrine injection you can simply put the baby to the breast (all being well and baby will co-opperate?). This way will sometimes take a little longer and you may need to give a little push, but it saves having a needle. That way if you need the syntocinon because of bleeding you can still have it (breastfeeding is good for this also).

[Tam-I-Am]

Goosie22 -

My cord was too short to put bubba to the breast until they had cut the cord - she would only come to my stomach. So is it okay to wait until the cord has stopped pulsing so they can cut it, and then put bubba to the breast to expel the placenta?

[becca74]

Goosie22 -

My cord was too short to put bubba to the breast until they had cut the cord - she would only come to my stomach. So is it okay to wait until the cord has stopped pulsing so they can cut it, and then put bubba to the breast to expel the placenta?

I've heard that this is perfectly fine :thumbsup:

Usually the oxytocin is flowing quite nicely anyway once you've had the baby, because you are so filled with excitment and joy......I didnt know about any of this till I was preg with my 3rd son (and even then, didnt get to put it to practice because he was c/sec :( ), when I had my 2nd son, his cord was pretty tight round his neck, so they cut it before his body came out, and took him straight to be resucitated......and I gave birth to the placenta about 20 minutes later with no issues. (though, my memories are sketchy, they may have given me syntocin to do this, but honestly, this is all a blur so I'm really not sure......:confused: )

If you wanted to use nipple stimulation to help the placenta out and the baby cant reach you, you could always take a breast pump, or if you are really open-minded in a Ina May Gaskin 'Spiritual Midwifery' type way, your hubby could have a go at your breasts for you - though this is only for the truly game (I know my hubby wouldnt do it ;) )

[Tam-I-Am]

Thanks Becca - don't know if DH would go for that either!:laughing:

I so wish I had had this information when DD was born - I had an epidural, they cut the cord and gave me syntocin to deliver the placenta, but it wasn't happening quick enough for them - so they began "gentle cord traction" (Gentle my *** - they snapped the cord :eek: ), all of which resulted in me having retained products, which they didn't diagnose or treat properly for 18 weeks.

If I'd just let nature take its course, I gather it would be far less likely that I would have had those problems. I'm so ****ed off!

[Bessie]

:eek: eek! That's sounds awful! At least you know for next time... I have just been given the all clear for vbac again, so looking forward to writing my birth plan, I can't change the bad things which happened before but at least I can be informed and make sure things go better this time!

I haven't told DH yet but quite fancy taking the placenta home to bury under a tree... he will probably freak though! Maybe I should suggest eating it first, then I can back down to just bringing it home (would never eat it anyway lol), I bet it will be a good form of organic compost :D

[Goosie22]

Goosie22 -

My cord was too short to put bubba to the breast until they had cut the cord - she would only come to my stomach. So is it okay to wait until the cord has stopped pulsing so they can cut it, and then put bubba to the breast to expel the placenta?

What Becca72 said. And your cord lengthens as the placenta comes away so you would have been able to do it in the end. But the nipple stimulation is perfectly fine also either way hand or husband:laughing: . Gota love Ina May, Did you know she is going to be speaking at the Homebirth Australia Conference july 1-2 in Geelong.

www.homebirthaustralia.org (http://www.homebirthaustralia.org)

:idea: If you do have to have your cord cut for some reason, to help the placenta come away and avoid Controlled Cord Traction. Ask the midwife to leave the cut end of the cord attached to the placenta unclamped and let it bleed into a bowl, this is because a placenta full of blood takes longer to come away and when its engorged with blood its blown up and full and hurts more to birth.

[Goosie22]

Maybe I should suggest eating it first, then I can back down to just bringing it home

good plan:thumbsup:

[Valosgirls]

Hi Goosie:) I hope you dont mind but you are always such a wealth of knowledge I was wondering if you might be able to shed some light on something for me?:o

When I delivered my 2nd baby (not knowing about the benefits of leaving the cord to pulsate etc) they cut the cord immediatley, gave me the needle and the midwife did the 'Controlled Cord Traction'. I couldnt see her doing this as I had given birth on my knees facing the bedhead but my DH told me later on that she pulled so HARD and VOILENTLY on the cord that he feared my uterus was going to come out with it. She really yanked the placenta out of me:(

My problem was - after giving birth naturally with no intervention or drugs - was that instead of being able to enjoy my baby and the fact that labour was over I lay down in such excrusiating pain that I wasnt even able to hold her:( I dont know how to describe the pain other that that wherever the uterus is where the pain was coming from. It was so awful - I lay down huddled up in a ball with my eyes shut and this searing pain inside me.

With my first baby, once she came the pain was over - but with this baby it was a totally different story - I wasnt able to hold my baby for many hours. She also had trouble breathing right after the cord was cut. Is there any chance that the pain could be related to the rather voilent way the placenta was taken from me? My 3rd baby is due in Sept and Im desperately trying to avoid a repeat incidence.

Sorry this was so long,
Rik

[Goosie22]

Hi Valsogirls,

Its normal for afterbirth pains to be increased and sometimes very strong(and terrible) the more babies you have. I cant say that the ripping our of your Placenta would have casued the pain, but it didnt help much. You may benifit from taking some Naproxen or Indocid ( Indocid the midwife can put some in your bot bot straight away so you dont have to even take it if your like) following the birth of the baby to lessen the serverity of the contraction involuting your uterus. Discuss it with your Care Provider and have it arranged and ready to go.

And really stress to your Care Provider that you wish to have a physiological third stage this time all being well.

HTH
G:)

[p4purple]

Thank god for this thread! Thanks ladies... I have been looking all over the internet to give me some answers. A lotus birth is going too far for me but after reading this I now know that it is more than normal to ask the birthing staff to let my baby stay attached till after I deliver the placenta and to only cut the cord once it stops pulsating. I thought I was being a tree hugging hippy to want to plant the placenta under the avocado tree, which will provide my babies first solid food!