[ecurlycue]

Ok I had a dream that I birthed this baby at home by myself, and I didn't know what to do with the umbilical cord, the placenta hadn't been delivered yet and the cord was too short for the baby to be moved so it ripped(Very strange dream) Any how it got me thinking about the prep I should do for this.
What items do you use and what have you found to work best for the umbilical cord? Also How far away from the babes body do you tie /cut it? Is there a need to put anything on it? That is all I can think of for now. Thanks!

 

[shell024]

 

[EMT-Mom]

Wait for the cord to stop pulsations befor cutting or clamping.Clamp 6 to 9 inches from baby then 2 to 3 inches from the next clamp towards the vagina.

 

[EMT-Mom]

suction from mouth to nose. cord clamps come in OB kits you might find one at a medical supply store. BTW good luck and congradulations!!!!!

 

[liamandpipersmama]

I waited until it stopped pulsing and turned white. Then we tied it off and cut it. I was planning on waiting until I delivered my placenta but I was very uncomfortable, it was painful to hold my baby for some reason, so I cut and and handed her of so I could move around easier. Looking back I really should have waited. I think it would have made delivering the palcenta easier maybe. Congrats on your deams, that's what led to my uc

!- Laura

 

[mwherbs]

so you don't suction anything unless the baby doesn't breathe
you don't usually have to cut the cord until after the placenta is delivered

if the cord is too short or any other reason that it is too hard to do with out cutting- wait until the baby is breathing well and the cord has stopped pulsing then you can tie the cord with new baby size cotton shoe laces, braided embroidery thread, purchased cord tape that comes in a sterile pack, or a metal cord clamp and last but not least a plastic cord clamp (this clamp takes a bit of "doing" to cut off) usually don't recommend single strands of thread or twine because they can be cutting and not work right
use scissors that do not have rust on them

look at the cord before you tie and cut , we probably leave 2 inches but it depends on what the cord looks like- if you cut long you can always shorten
we take a clamp off after 24 hours but will leave a tie the duration

a very short cord is a fairly rare thing

 

[mwherbs]

oh almost forgot to address the dream- if the cord tears or breaks pinch it at the end that is still attached to the baby, then tie it off-- in this situation a clamp would be the easiest because you would be working 1 handed.

don't need to put nothing on the cord just keep the diaper off the area so it can dry out and fall off

 

[cresorchid]

Wow! What a great question. I had kind of wondered the same thing, but seen similar stuff elsewhere. It's nice to have it confirmed. I will feel much more comfortable taking care of the cord after reading the clear replies here.

 

[cathicog]

The first tie goes about 2-3 inches from the baby's belly and the second one goes about another 2 inches away from it. Tie them very tightly-if you are using shoelaces... then you cut between the ties.Most cords are not that short...I would also wait to cut it til it is white and floppy. All the blood belongs to the baby.

 

[ecurlycue]

Thank you for all the great responses. I feel much better about knowing how to take care of the umbilical cord.

 

[pamamidwife]

no suctioning! none! no bulb syringe! they're unnecessary and irritating!

 

[homemademomma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pamamidwife no suctioning! none! no bulb syringe! they're unnecessary and irritating!

also- can i just say that i hate with a passion those huge white cord clamp things? they must be so irritating to baby's skin. i would not recommend using them to clamp close to the baby. a piece of string is great.

 

[Thmom]

we only ever used one clamp too because the cord is cold, white and limp when we cut it.
I've also used golden seal powder on a cord, but it's not necessary

 

[ecurlycue]

so I can braid emrodery thread together and it will work? or should i buy a little pack of shoelaces. Also how long should i leave it tied up. 24 hours? less?

 

[ScotterOtter]

Do you boil the shoelaces or put them in alcohol before using them?

 

[Lula's Mom]

ecurlycue, that is what I did for my second child. I braided strands of embroidery thread in Lula's, DP's and my favorite colors. We boiled it for a few minutes and then I stuck it in a ziploc bag until the birth. That was clean enough for me. After Lula's midwife-assisted birth, she had a hard plastic clamp, and I hated it. It really felt like it was hurting her when I cuddled her.

As for cutting it: there is no too late, only too soon!

Give it plenty of time to finish its blood transfer. We waited about 45 minutes after the placenta was delivered- always wait until the placenta is born, if at all possible. When we cut it (with new scissors), the cord was white and limp, and there was no pulsation that we could feel. Even so, it bled a little, and I wished we'd waited even longer.

We don't use anything for cord care, except breastmilk if it starts getting icky.

Let me just say this about my first birth: early cord clamping- before the placenta was delivered- made for a less-than-smooth transition to breathing for my daughter (and excessive bleeding for me!) Snuffly breathing led to overzealous bulb syringe use by the midwives. Aggressive suctioning led to swollen nasal passages and one freaked-out baby, who refused to nurse for a week. I've never been so depressed. One thing leads to another...

 

[Zamber]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pamamidwife no suctioning! none! no bulb syringe! they're unnecessary and irritating!

If you feel the need to suction at all, use your mouth.

As for the cord, we just bought a pack of shoelaces, and I didn't bother to boil them.

 

[Raven]

My cord was unusually short with Tatum and it totally severed when she came out (very quickly and in one shot - probally b/c she was breech?? ) which I was very bummbed about

The worry here is blood loss from the cord. If this happens the best thing is to make sure no blood is lost through the cord.

Good luck~

 

[mum at home]

wow - a breech baby coming out so quickly! what size was she at birth? I've been reading up about breech births (again) and there seems to be all this stress about heads getting stuck!

If the cord breaks, do you need to clamp the placenta end as well? just wondering if it will affect separation, or lead to higher blood loss?

 

[mwherbs]

clamping both ends is done to avoid the mess of blood coming out of the cord-- the blood in the cord is baby's and one trick to help a delayed placenta to come is to un-clamp the placenta side and let all the blood come out so it would unplump the circulation and hopefully help it to release. with a broken cord the important thing is to keep the baby's end from loosing blood.