delayed cord clamping question

[sahm]

I have decided that I want to wait until the cord stops pulsating before it is clamped. I am delivering at a hospital with a traditional OB (well, one of four that is on call). When I brought it up to one of the OB's, she said that she doesn't believe all the benefits of it but it definitely doesn't hurt (that's fine, as long as she does it) but asked if I wanted to baby put on my abdomen after it was born or for the greatest benefit it should be held down, below the placenta. I guess I had never thought of it. I really want the baby on my belly right away. Then I talked to one of the other OB's and she said that she would be concerned (this is my least favourite OB in the practice) about not clamping the cord right away with the baby on my belly because of gravity and it could pull some of the blood and nutrients away from the baby. Is there any validity in this? For those of you who waited to clamp the cord, did you have the baby put on your chest right away or did they hold the baby below the placenta and which would you suggest? Assuming I have a full-term healthy baby, I'm not so big on the benefits of delayed cord clamping, I really want the baby on me right away, and figure that even a little benefit is better than none, even if having it above the placenta takes away some of the benefit.

Anyway, any input would be appreciated.

[LGSW]

Hmmmm, I have never heard of this. We didn't clamp the cord right away and we had the baby on my chest immediately.

In my guess (non-medical-professional) I would think that the blood is being *pumped* through the umbilical cord (hense the pulsing) and therefore pumping can go against gravity. The blood isn't just falling through the cord down into your baby.

Think about how blood is pumped throughout your body. A lot of it would have to go against gravity.

I don't see how it could be a problem, but like I said it's my non-medical guess.

Lindsey

[hahamommy]

There's another thread entitled "when to cut the cord" that talks of this issue, too. I've never heard of the *gravity* issue, I sounds *made up* to me. One mom suggested that you remind your babycatcher as you're delivering NOT to clamp the cord as soon as the baby is out. The main reason for clamping (funny doc should shrug off the benefits...) is the hospitals desire to harvest and sell the stem cells that rightfully belong to your baby. With DS I breastfed as he was attached and it was an amazing help with the placenta contractions. Obviously lotus birth would never work if there was danger to the child from leaving them attached.
Just my $.02
~diana

[gurumama]

The gravity issue, frankly, sounds like a load of hooey to me, unless you're planning to wait a long time before cutting the cord (like more than 30 minutes).

Granted, if the baby's on your chest with the cord attached and unclamped, then it ishigher than your placenta, so the blood has to be pumped a bit harder to go up, but the same argument could be made for never putting your feet higher than your heart. Of course you can do so--just don't do it for a long stretch of time, or your feet will fall asleep. Are my feet in danger because the blood and nutrients are somehow being lost by being higher than my heart?

I had my son on me, with the cord attached, nursing to help push out the placenta, in a hospital, for a good 15-30 minutes. The CNM clamped the cord after it stopped pulsating, then I cut it myself. Placental birth was a breeze. There was never a problem. As the CNM told me, waiting to clamp/cut the cord means that the baby's still attached--no one can whisk him away!

Methinks your OB is either misguided or has an agency as someone mentioned above...

Good luck and stick to your guns,

Mel

[JaneS]

Unfortunately, this is the standard OB view - that the cord must be held lower than the uterus. It doesn't make sense to me either.

Reference to textbook citing here:

http://www.ivillagehealth.com/expert...151505,00.html

[Tracy]

my son was born in the most western med hospital on earth. Not a lot of creativity there.
I had an induced labor.

But my ds per our birth plan was put on my chest and they waited until the cord stopped pulsating before clamping.
If my hospital did it...your's can.
gravitity didn't injure anyone in our delivery.
just my boobs 18 months later but that's another story.