Cutting that cord!!!!

[catholic74]

Here's my situation in a nutshell.  I am due in the fall.  There is no midwife in my immediate area (believe me, I've looked!) and I give birth very, very fast!  I gave birth to my last two babies without any assistance...just me and my husband....but neither time was it intended to be that way. With the first, we didn't make it to the hospital.  With the second, the midwife didn't make it to us (and she lived within 30 minutes of us!)   I prefer to birth at home with a midwife, but given my speedy deliveries, that doesn't look likely, so I'm quietly preparing myself to just birth at home by myself.....I have no problem giving birth alone....it was actually pretty awesome.....what does make me hesitant and squeaming.....and don't laugh is clamping and cutting that cord!!!!   I don't know how to do it and I'm afraid I'll do it wrong.  I've thought about giving birth, then with the cord and placenta still attatched, calmly making my way to the hospital and letting them take care of it and I still might do that, but in case, I find myself not wanting to leave the house anytime soon.....could someone help me get straightforward information and how to do it and ease my fears??!! 

Thanks!

p.s. I've seen the emergency childbirth manuel.....but do I need to buy an entire book to learn how to clamp and cut the cord?   Perhaps it would be a good resource anyway.  Also, if I'm gonna do it, I want to buy those plastic clamps and professional scissors....I know I don't necessarily need those things, but I like to have things like that on hand.

[Mamatoabunch]

It is very uncomplicated actually. I have either waited until the cord stopped pulsating, but I have yet to deliver the placenta or I have clamped and cut after I delivered the placenta. Either way we clamped both ends, about an inch from baby, then leave an inch space and clamped again. Cut in between, easy peasy. You can order scissors and clamps, cord tape, etc from www.inhishands.com I would not head to the hospital just to have them clamp and cut the cord. It could cause problems for both you and baby, it is something you can easily do yourself.

[ElizabethE]

To me, Emergency Childbirth is a must read. For everybody. They ought to teach this in schools, in health class or something. In any case, when it comes to the cord, it is indeed simple. Mama's got it right. Some of us don't order anything, and in that case we'll just tie it off with something (or not... it's not necessary, as long as it's stopped pulsing and gone white and limp) and cut with something. Very easy, the end. :)

[Lula's Mom]

Yeah THAT!  about Emergency Childbirth! It's a great book to have.

I understand, even though I have had 2 UCs, I am squeamish about the cord too!  I just think it looks and feels gross, and after a few minutes it is limp and cold and sticky.  So my husband takes care of that business. 

We braided embroidery thread and tied it off that way.  I think those big plastic clamps are so unwieldy and must be uncomfortable- who wants that getting in the way of diapering, hugging, etc?  You don't need that.  Just a boiled pair of new, sharp scissors and some thread or a shoelace will do.

[workingmom2011]

Originally Posted by catholic74 

Here's my situation in a nutshell.  I am due in the fall.  There is no midwife in my immediate area (believe me, I've looked!) and I give birth very, very fast!  I gave birth to my last two babies without any assistance...just me and my husband....but neither time was it intended to be that way. With the first, we didn't make it to the hospital.  With the second, the midwife didn't make it to us (and she lived within 30 minutes of us!)   I prefer to birth at home with a midwife, but given my speedy deliveries, that doesn't look likely, so I'm quietly preparing myself to just birth at home by myself.....I have no problem giving birth alone....it was actually pretty awesome.....what does make me hesitant and squeaming.....and don't laugh is clamping and cutting that cord!!!!   I don't know how to do it and I'm afraid I'll do it wrong.  I've thought about giving birth, then with the cord and placenta still attatched, calmly making my way to the hospital and letting them take care of it and I still might do that, but in case, I find myself not wanting to leave the house anytime soon.....could someone help me get straightforward information and how to do it and ease my fears??!! 

Thanks!

p.s. I've seen the emergency childbirth manuel.....but do I need to buy an entire book to learn how to clamp and cut the cord?   Perhaps it would be a good resource anyway.  Also, if I'm gonna do it, I want to buy those plastic clamps and professional scissors....I know I don't necessarily need those things, but I like to have things like that on hand.

Strangely enough pushing the placenta out and cutting the cord seem more daunting than pushing out a baby. Can someone comment on the intuitiveness of pushing the placenta in UC. Will there be an urge similar to the baby pushing urges? Say the cord stops pulsating, goes limp, and you cut it and bind it... then what? Do you feel like pushing the placenta out or do you have to make a conscious effort? 

[ElizabethE]

For me, the intuition surrounding pushing out the placenta was like listening to bathroom cues. I didn't feel a strong urge to push as in labor, but the cramping was such that I went into the bathroom and I knew the placenta was going to be delivered. I relaxed and it was ready and it more or less "fell" out. I would not put pressure on yourself to expect any one thing to happen, or to put yourself on this time table of "I must deliver this placenta!"-- your body will get rid of it. Your body is not trying to keep it. Let it happen. :)

[catholic74]

Thanks to all of you! I do feel much better about the idea of cutting the cord!  I'm going to order the special scissors and clamps....I just prefer to have easy, ready made stuff available.  I don't want to have to boil the scissors. I'm hoping they just come in a sterile package, ready to open and cut.   I think I will go ahead and order the emergency manuel book. It will be good to have.

Concerning the placenta, I never have an urge to push it out and my last one stayed in there for 30 to 40 minutes before the midwife reminded me that it was still in there and that we could give a push and go ahead and get it out.  I gave one good push and out it came.  Then my midwife spread it out and starting giving a lesson on it, showing the parts, etc....I looked up to see my mom shocked and fascinated that this was happening.....so funny......the whole homebirth was an adjustment for her, but when it happened, she was wonderful and I noticed that she bragged about the whole experience to anyone who would listen afterwards.

[moonfirefaery]

Cutting the cord is a cinch. Buy a brand new pair of scissors, preferably stainless steel. Boil them to sterilize them during the labor. You can buy cord clamps online. Clamp them onto the cord about an inch apart. I used brand new, clean shoestrings to tie off my cord. Then you just snip snip with your sterilized scissors, and you're all done. :)

There's no reason to go to the hospital for this. It takes just a second, is minimally invasive, and there's no way to "botch" it or cause harm to either of you while doing it if you're using sterilized materials and have waited for the cord to stop pulsating. If you do go to the hospital, I wouldn't recommend going with the placenta still inside you; it might raise eyes, like it did with me.

I pushed and pushed, tugged on the cord, stood up and walked around, squated on the toilet, massaged my uterus while pushing, and that placenta just did not want to come out. We had been concerned the bleeding was too much right after birth, so JUST IN CASE, I took Shepherd's Purse. That caused my uterus to clamp down on my placenta, and I made an hour-long trip to the hospital to have it manually (and painfully) removed. It's not pleasant to go to a hospital right after a homebirth, especially a UC.

[Mamatoabunch]

Originally Posted by catholic74 

Thanks to all of you! I do feel much better about the idea of cutting the cord!  I'm going to order the special scissors and clamps....I just prefer to have easy, ready made stuff available.  I don't want to have to boil the scissors. I'm hoping they just come in a sterile package, ready to open and cut.   I think I will go ahead and order the emergency manuel book. It will be good to have.

The scissors will not come sterilized. 

[moonfirefaery]

You can sterilize them in other ways, though, running them through the dishwasher for example. It only takes a few minutes to boil the scissors. You just put them in a pot of water and ignore them for a few minutes. I'm sure some of the other mamas can recommend other methods. :)

[ElizabethE]

Catholic-- it's also found here: http://www.umbrellanoize.com/stuff/Emergency%20Childbirth.pdf

Moonfire-- abt your placenta. Ouch!

[catholic74]

Elizabeth....thanks for the info!  

And I suppose I'll have to sterilize those scissors!!!  

[weliveintheforest]

I'm going to use forceps and a cord ring, I think it's a nice option!  It's just a tiny little elastic band.  I've never done it before but I am not worried that it will be difficult, and I feel like it's worth the 20 bucks for forceps and a cord ring since I'd use the forceps again.

[Lula's Mom]

That cord ring looks nice and easy too.  OP, you should look into that- if you watch the video on that link, near the end it is really a stark contrast in the comfort & size of something soft and small like thread or the cord ring, vs the plastic clamp!  Yikes.

[annaconda]

We just got our cord clamps from inhishands.com and I'm so happy for this conversation... it really dawned on us when we looked at the clamps!  We just might be catching this baby!  I'm so excited!