Question about cutting baby's cord???

[KingsDaughter76]

Hi-

I interviewed a midwife that will probably be the one we use if we do in fact decide to try a homebirth... she told us that she does not clamp or cut the umbilical cord until after the placenta delivers on its own. I have never heard of that before and wanted to know if thats common with homebirth midwives and why that would be done that way. I have always had my midwife wait to cut the cord till it stops pulsating...but never leave it all intact until the placenta comes out... Wouldnt that make baby bleed back out or something?? I need you educated mamas to teach me please. I am confused!

THANKS!
Kellina

[dannic]

I don't know if I qualify as "educated" but my mw recommends leaving the cord intact for the first two hours, at least. (Which we are planning on). Some people practice Lotus Birth, which is where the placenta and cord is left attached until it falls off naturally--in a few days. I'm sure others can give you more info.

[groovynaturemama]

my homebirth mw delivered my placenta b4 clamping and cutting the cord. i think it is rather common among homebirth mws, and babies don't bleed back much into the placenta once the cord is no longer pulsing. also the fact that the placenta is no longer functional once detatched from the uterine wall keeps the back flow of blood to a minimum as well.

[alegna]

That is what I would prefer.

-Angela

[ani'smommy]

So it can be cut with no clamping after the placenta is birthed?

[Nan'sMom]

I think it is much better to wait until the placenta births to clamp or cut the cord. From what I've read, it helps the placenta to come out to leave it attached.

[sweeetpea]

*So it can be cut with no clamping after the placenta is birthed?*

Yes, absoutely. It can be cut with no clamping after the placenta is birthed and there is no longer any blood running thorugh the vessels. Sometimes there might be a little seepage from the baby's end of the cord, but a little gauze and pressure takes care of that. My HB midwife usually waits an hour or two before separating baby from placenta, unless there is a problem or a request by the mama to cut it.

[Arwyn]

That's pretty common, and it's physiologically appropriate. No worries!

I had planned on doing this, but after an hour after the birth, and with not having peed in something like 12 hours at that point, I had her clamp (cord bander) and cut so DP could hold the baby and I could try to pee. The cord had already stopped pulsing and was pretty empty at that point. The placenta came out while I was on the toilet.

[Lady Lilya]

Originally Posted by KingsDaughter76

Hi-

I interviewed a midwife that will probably be the one we use if we do in fact decide to try a homebirth... she told us that she does not clamp or cut the umbilical cord until after the placenta delivers on its own. I have never heard of that before and wanted to know if thats common with homebirth midwives and why that would be done that way. I have always had my midwife wait to cut the cord till it stops pulsating...but never leave it all intact until the placenta comes out... Wouldnt that make baby bleed back out or something?? I need you educated mamas to teach me please. I am confused!

THANKS!
Kellina

That is what I want to do.

There is no harm to leaving it attached until the cord falls off the bellybutton, so I don't see the harm in waiting for the placenta to come out.

[MyBoysBlue]

That's what I was planning in my UC but after 40 minutes of waiting and being freezing cold on the floor I decided to get up and go sit on the toilet because I felt like I needed to go, so we cut the cord. It had stopped pulsing long before. It came out in the toilet yuck.