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Biting the cord - Page 4

post #61 of 81
5/14/07 at 1:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by momma4fun View Post
Because it's all you. It's all mama and baby, it does not include the factory workers and machines that pressed out the knives, scissors and scalpel.
After my UC, when I used some Fiskars to cut the cord, I never once felt the presence of factory workers. I mean, by that argument, I shouldn't give birth in a birth pool, because someone manufactured it and I don't want to invite them to my birth, after all. What about the construction workers who built my house? I gave birth in my basement, which we'd had finished by contractors. Were they present too? I guess I only THOUGHT I had a UC! lol
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post #62 of 81
5/14/07 at 1:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mama in the forest View Post
Because it's a very odd thing to put a knife, scissors, or scalpel near a newly born baby. Or a baby of any age for that matter.
I think most of us who choose to use scissors instead of our teeth are pretty careful not to cut the baby. It's not like it's major surgery...placenta out, cord dead, quick snip. Not really the same as giving a 2 year old some scissors to run down stairs with
post #63 of 81
5/14/07 at 2:27pm
Thinking about scalpels gives me the shivers.
post #64 of 81
5/14/07 at 2:36pm
Quote:
I think most of us who choose to use scissors instead of our teeth are pretty careful not to cut the baby. It's not like it's major surgery...placenta out, cord dead, quick snip. Not really the same as giving a 2 year old some scissors to run down stairs with
My comment wasn't meant to address whether or not you were careful with your scissors, or whether or not a 2 year old should run down the stairs with them, so you can relax about that. I've no doubt you were extremely careful. Any woman, at least in my opinion, who chooses UC is going to be the utmost of responsible and careful. And in my 19 years of birthing all my UC babes, I've cut the cord on every single one of them, with blunt scissors too!

I simply meant that this conversation really had me questioning my practice of doing that. Every single time I've cut a cord I've thought: gosh, i sure hate putting this scissors so close to the baby. Just an instinctual recoiling, if you will. Who knows, if I ever have another baby maybe I'll be interested in biting the cord, and I appreciate the mama that brought this topic up.
post #65 of 81
5/14/07 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Thinking about scalpels gives me the shivers.
Me too!
post #66 of 81
5/14/07 at 2:43pm
Hmm, I wonder if it is not the scissors themselves, but the symbolic "cutting the tie that binds". Starting that process of gradual individuation. It's normal to recoil from that at many stages along the way. It's also taking an opportunity to change something about the child - choices we make all the time, but that always give me pause to reflect. Interesting to think about...
post #67 of 81
5/14/07 at 3:06pm
Hey, everyone, I don't believe anyone is implying that using scissors is 'wrong.' The original post appears to be a request for information and discussion about other potential methods to explore

Thanks!
post #68 of 81
5/14/07 at 3:56pm
I'm not clear here - is it also considered bad to cut a baby's long fingernails?

I don't know if this was just meant to be sassy, but I'll bite

I always bite my newborns fingernails instead of cutting them. And when I mentioned it to a friend of mine after the birth of my first, she told me her midwife recommended it to her as well, since it's so easy to accidentally cut a baby with clippers (even baby clippers) and you're much less likely to do so when biting the nails short.

Kat
post #69 of 81
5/14/07 at 5:10pm
That reminds me of something else - alot of times the nail is still attached to the skin of a newborn. So be careful whatever you do - I nipped poor little ds and made him bleed!
post #70 of 81
5/14/07 at 5:26pm
I bit my 8 month old's nails about an hour ago, actually. She won't stay still enough for clippers.

I was kind of being silly earlier - this whole discussion makes me feel a little silly for some reason
post #71 of 81
5/14/07 at 6:40pm
on the subject of nail cutting- I don't - I use a file-- the babies move around too much
post #72 of 81
5/14/07 at 8:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mama in the forest View Post
of doing that. Every single time I've cut a cord I've thought: gosh, i sure hate putting this scissors so close to the baby. Just an instinctual recoiling, if you will.
Yeah thre is that odd feeling about it.
With cutting the nails too. I reallllly don't like cutting them. Biting them sometimes works, but sometimes it seems pretty rough too. I used an emery board successfully until they are bigger to sit and watch the cutting with interest, but then it's still a bit scary, no?
post #73 of 81
5/14/07 at 11:12pm
Quote:
Every single time I've cut a cord I've thought: gosh, i sure hate putting this scissors so close to the baby.
Just to be clear,I'm not interested in biting off my baby's cord -- much rather do a lotus birth if it came to it. But I just have to say regarding the above quote, I felt that way too! But it wasn't like I was afraid of having something sharp close to the baby... and I don't think it was about a symbolic "cutting ties" either. I was in this very instinctive, intuitive place, and into this I bring this clinical procedure... there was something that felt "off" about it.

ETA, I've never liked biting or cutting my babies' nails. I'm lucky then, I guess, that theirs didn't really need it!
post #74 of 81
5/14/07 at 11:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mama in the forest View Post
Every single time I've cut a cord I've thought: gosh, i sure hate putting this scissors so close to the baby. Just an instinctual recoiling, if you will. Who knows, if I ever have another baby maybe I'll be interested in biting the cord, and I appreciate the mama that brought this topic up.
Yeah, it's scary to have the scissors near the baby, but it's ALSO scary to cut the cord!!! SNip snip through this live part of your baby?? For me the instinct is that something like that would HURT, you know??
post #75 of 81
5/15/07 at 10:10am
Yeah, I wonder if lotus birth might be right for me next time. It did seem wrong to me to put an instrument near the baby. I'm not sure if that means I'd have a lotus birth, or bite the cord, or use something more natural to cut it like a sharp piece of obsidian as mwherbs suggested.

When I've birthed, I've always had minimal things around. A shoelace, some towels, and that damned scissors. I was never one to have those "birth supply packages". Though I can see my kids enjoying playing with the straws & plastic pads.

Just seems like I'll do without the scissors if there's a next time.
post #76 of 81
5/15/07 at 10:12am
Wow, I just realized there are over 2000 hits on this thread. Who would have guessed this little UC biting thread would be so popular.
post #77 of 81
5/15/07 at 11:08am
I wonder how long it would take for the cord to seperate if you just tied it with the shoelaces (or whatever) and nothing else. . .

I *do* want to eat my placenta so I'm thinking some cutting is in my future, but if I weren't so enthralled with that I think I might just tie the cord and let it drop off as it will. I bet it's only a day or so.
post #78 of 81
5/15/07 at 1:17pm
I think some dramatic changes would have to occur to my constitution before I would be willing to consider lotus birth. I would bite it if those where my choices. Probably try to snap it first.
post #79 of 81
5/15/07 at 1:58pm
I just thought of something else. I wonder if anyone ever tied a knot in the cord with just the cord to expedite the breakage off.
post #80 of 81
5/15/07 at 10:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Synchro246 View Post
I just thought of something else. I wonder if anyone ever tied a knot in the cord with just the cord to expedite the breakage off.
the knot takes a bit longer to dry out because of the thickness-- I have seen this a couple of times-