cutting the cord

[Tideaftertide]

So DH and I are having our first (due in 3 days) although no sign of any rumblings...

Home birth planned and all ready to go.

So here's the question: how do folk feel about hubby cutting the cord?

Spoke to DSis about it and she (amusingly) pointed out that it's like a cheap celeb cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of a supermarket!

Thoughts...

DH did it both times, I didn't notice too busy looking at the amazing new baby.

Dh cut the cord with dc3. He didn't want to but circumstances meant the midwife thought he would want to! He didn't repeat the experience with dc4

I couldn't have cared less either way to be honest - once I'd pushed them out I had no interest in what followed 'down there'

DH never has. He doesn't get the fuss. He wouldn't want to deliver the placenta or snip the thread on stitches either.

My dh wasn't allowed by the midwife to cut the cord of our eldest DC but insisted with the subsequent 4!

My DH never wanted to and was so worried that he's be asked to and then be in an awkward 'very British problem' situation of saying no and ruining the birth moment that we had to write in the birth notes for them not to ask him. Haha - in retrospect, as if we would have even noticed any sort of breach of manners at that point of sheer exhaustion and elation! Hilarious!

Dh cut the cord for both of ours- he even got to do it twice for ds2 for some reason.

DH was really nervous about it but in the event said it was the best thing he ever did. He was worried he was going to mess it up / hurt me or the baby / would find it too weird as it was me and the baby.

My Mum and my DH were both my birthing partners. Both said they did not want to do it, and the thought of it made them feel queasy. On the actual day my Mum all of a sudden wanted to and DH was happy to.let her.

I cut the cord for my third, decided it was my turn.

DP cut the cord with our first. I remember we discussed it beforehand and he wasn't keen but when the midwife offered him to do it he did. I can't actually remember if he did it with our second. I'll ask him in the morning.
It's not a big deal either way though, I think he felt good that he'd done something "useful" for our eldest.

Exdp never wanted to so i did.
Why not?

OH cut the cord when I had DD. I was v poorly by that point, so can't actually remember it
He doesn't regret doing it

Dh didn't cut the cord with dc4, she was our first together and he was very green around the gills during the whole thing. I think if he'd been forced to he'd probably have fainted

But he did with the youngest, she'll be the last and he said he'd regret it if he didn't.

I cut the cord for my sil who I was birthing partner for - I don't rember being squeemish, just a bit in shock by it all!

With Ds he was a crash birth so the doctor did it, I was disproportionally gutted!

I left the decision with DP. He was sitting on the fence about it but decided to do it in the end. Said it wasn't as freaky as he thought it would be... But he found the birth very full on, so the cord was nothing after that!

Thanks folk!

Ill leave that up to him then... Can only imagine that you don't care by that point who does what, as long as baby is fine!

A friend described it to us as cutting through a telephone wire. He is quite a manly man and said it was surprisingly difficult.
Put my husband off doing it in case he could n't!! Also meant he stayed far away from the business end of things which was probably best.

Expecting our first any day and DP really wants to cut the cord. I think part of it is so he can be involved and help out in some substantial way, but the other part is so that he is responsible for ending our daughter's dependency on just my body to survive, effectively making her BOTH of our responsibility. He sees it as becoming a father, officially.

Dp couldn't decide if he could do it or not but as DS ended up being pretty sick dp wasn't given the chance.

If cutting cord isn't his cup of tea, could request that, if all healthy and safe, he takes the baby as it comes out (with help from midwife) and places it on your chest. We asked for this and my DH loved this brief moment of first contact with the baby's body much more than cutting the cord (which he also did, but after a good ten minutes as we requested it be left to stop pulsing to give full blood to baby).