Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

why the rush to cut the cord?

28 replies

emmajlh · 09/03/2010 18:10

i've been enjoying watching One born every minute and also watching the videos online.

does anyone know why midwives are sooooo keen to get that umbilical cord cut so quickly? why don't they wait till it has stopped pulsating? is it a case of the quicker they can get it cut and have mum and baby out the door and a free bed the better?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

choufleur · 09/03/2010 18:13

don't know. i specified on my birth plan that unless there was a medical reason (DS needed to be whisked away somewhere) i wanted to wait a bit to have it cut. It was nice - we just sat in the pool together with DH at our side while the midwife pottered doing whatever she needed to do.

I think i was lucky - i had a lovely birth.

BigMomma3 · 09/03/2010 21:24

I am also interested in this. I was not aware until recently that is better for the baby to wait until it stopped pulsating and turned white. I will be having my 4th in July and will definitely be asking them to wait.

Chofleur How long did it take roughly?

smilehomebirth · 09/03/2010 21:34

I don't know, but they often seem to be in a tiz about it, even when there seems to be absolutely no need whatsoever.

Leaving the cord attached for longer is supposed to be much better for baby, cutting it too soon deprives it of a volume of blood that should rightfully belong to it apparently. And it's supposed to give the placenta more of a clue that baby is out so that it can shut itself down and separate.

Some people say that when you leave it attached, baby continues to get oxygenated by it for a minute or so longer. This should be really good for those babies who are slow to breath - but it is exactly these babies who get cut off most quickly as the medical team rush to whisk them over to the machine that goes ping resuscitaire.

Some independant midwives will do basic resus with cord still attached.

smilehomebirth · 09/03/2010 21:42

For dd2 my birthplan asked for it to be left till it stopped pulsating. After 5mins, my midwife wanted to cut it, she said "feel, it's stopped pulsating" I felt it, but was in post-birth daze, so didn't really pay much attention. I'm sure it was still blue, but she seemed itching to get the job over and done with, it was like she was desperate for something to do (after having to do absolutely nothing as the birth was so straightforward and I'd requested no talking). It seemed like a rushed intrusion when all I wanted to do was relax and get used to the fact that brand new dd2 was out. I wish now that I'd asked for lotus birth - not because I wanted lotus birth, but just because it would've left me in control of when it was done.

smilehomebirth · 09/03/2010 21:45

In my fantasy "dream birth" scenario, me and my husband would've done it all ourselves, figured out how to tie and cut through the thing. Hardly rocket science is it?

Also I would've asked for a soft tie (or made my own) rather than had a nasty plastic clamp.

Sorry to go on am v interested in subject.

BomDigger · 09/03/2010 23:06

A recent RCOG newsletter mentioned a study in which it was shown leaving the cord on for an hour passed enough iron to sustain the baby for 3 months! (I forget the figures.)

It's a pet peeve of mine!
The vernix should remain on for as long as poss too to protect from infection.

I was so lucky with DS; He plopped out from squatting, and I scooped him up for a huggle myself. MW didn't try to intervene.

What's a lotus birth, Smile?

BomDigger · 09/03/2010 23:10

Just googled it!

Interesting!

hawkgirl · 09/03/2010 23:10

i went to a talk by Michael Odent when pregnant with my second and he had lots to say about this subject. About how mothers/babies in the developing countries suffered highly from tetnus by cutting the cord too early. How it helps the baby gain oxygen until its ready to breath on its own etc.

On second birth, i was very specific on not allowing the midwife to touch the cord at all, luckily i had a very quick third stage and allowed the cord to be cut after that as it was really not doing anything by then.

SilkyBreeks · 10/03/2010 14:24

I've been told by a (very experienced) haematologist that leaving the cord for about a minute with baby below level of placenta is really beneficial...

smilehomebirth · 10/03/2010 16:58

"The vernix should remain on for as long as poss too to protect from infection."

Interesting - how does it protect from infection BomDigger?

I know it's like heavy duty moisteriser, really good for their skin. DD2 didn't get a bath till she was 5 days old to make sure it sunk in. She probably was slightly washed off in the pool though. Couldn't do that with a baby covered in myconium like I've heard about some births!

smilehomebirth · 10/03/2010 17:03

Also was interested to hear that the cord doesn't necessarily need to be clamped at all - if the cord is left on for a good long time it will have dryed up enough not to bleed.

Though I did hear of someone doing this, and it being fine to start with, but later in the night it did start to bleed which unnerved the parents no end - babies haven't got such a lot of blood to lose that you can be blase about it.

sweetkitty · 10/03/2010 17:09

I believe it is because if syntometrin is given the cord must be cut and the placenta be delivered within an alloted period of time.

With DD1 I had syntometrin and almost needed a manual extraction of the placenta in theatre.

With DD2 I specifically asked for the cord not to be cut until it had stopped pulsing, the MWs were very twitchy about it but waited about 10 mins before cutting it, DD2 actually had her first feed still attached, it was lovely she was all snuggled and attached to me for a while after the birth.

DD3 was the same although I asked them after about 10 mins to cut the cord and take her away as I was having shocking afterpains and couldn't hold her.

One thing that did strike me about OBEM last night with the 17 year old is the minute her DD was born, the MW cut the cord, wrapped the baby up in a towel and handed her to the Dad and the new Mum was straining to see her. I would have hated that after the birth I wanted my babies on me not anyone else even their Dad, I am very possessive after they are born it's a case of right they are out leave us alone now.

smilehomebirth · 10/03/2010 17:25

I think syntometrin can be delayed to allow for the cord to stop pulsating - not sure if there's a time limit on that though.

That sounded lovely with dd2 sweetkitty.

Not seen this OBEM yet - sounds awful. That's not usual though is it - midwives these days are mostly quite keen on the skin-to-skin thing. I really shouldn't watch, but if I skip through it I can just about get through without throwing anything at the screen

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 10/03/2010 17:38

in the programme last night the mother told them to give the baby to the dad

EccentricaGallumbits · 10/03/2010 17:47

because virtually everyone opts to have an actively managed third stage, with syntometrine injected.

so It's injected as the babe comes out, then because it forces the uterus to contract hard the cord needs to be clamped to avoid having a massive load of blood shoot through it to the babe.

and women have to opt out of having a managed third stage rather than opting in.

smilehomebirth · 10/03/2010 17:48

I do sometimes want to throw things at the mothers, though it's usually the midwives that are most annoying. I know, sorry, I should get a life or something .

sweetkitty · 10/03/2010 20:16

DWP - ah I didn't hear that bit, she did so well at the end pushing with no pain relief, I loved the way her face changed from total agony to sheer delight too

I am being pushed into having the synto this time as apparently as it's no4 I have an incresed risk of PPH but I am going to stipulate that I want a natural third stage unless it is dangerous to do so.

Loopymumsy · 11/03/2010 13:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Bramshott · 11/03/2010 13:10

After I had DD2 - which happened when only DH and I were there - all the medics, ambulance men etc seemed to be obsessed with whether we had cut the cord or not! It was practically the first thing everyone who saw us asked, and as DH said - "with what?" It didn't occur to either of us to cut it - certainly seemed more logical to leave it there to give DD2 a bit of extra help after the shock of being born by the side of the road!

smilehomebirth · 11/03/2010 17:10

Okay, I've seen it now, it was definitely one of the nicer births I've seen on there.

It does make me wonder what would happen if they didn't do all that "push, push, push more, try harder, keep it coming, more push, harder push!". Would baby just stay in for hours and die, or would it come out fine just the same but slightly slower. I'd like to think the latter.

Bit worrying that medics and ambulance men think you need to cut the cord straight away. Their training should really encourage them to do the opposite, as they're most likely to be attending births "in the wild" where it is in everybody's best interest to let things go as naturally as possible.

smilehomebirth · 11/03/2010 17:12

Bramshott - by the side of the road - amazing! Did you find that really scary, or was it nice to get it over quickly with no strangers around?

bronze · 11/03/2010 17:16

I had a physiological last stage and only cut the cord a while after the placenta had delivered itself naturally.
I think it was the nicest of my four births and ds3 is thew most content of my babies and I put it all down to this.
I still remember him being born wheras with my others it was a haze because of the rush the minute they were born

lal123 · 11/03/2010 17:23

smile - when I was having DD2 everything was moving so quickly I wanted a rest - told mws she wasn't sue for 2 weeks so had plenty of time But I got hte whole Push push thing - with mw telling me she'd cut me if I didn't - that made me push!!! Apparently once baby's head is in birth canal they have 4 mins to get them out ( I assume thats in case cord is tangled?)

NightLark · 11/03/2010 17:23

DDs cord was left until it had stopped pulsating - it was a very strange feeling, that she was attached inside me and held in my arms at the same time. It was a little uncomfortable though - I could feel the tugging. DD was (is) a very chilled baby and I do think a lot of it is down to her lovely relaxed birth.

smilehomebirth · 11/03/2010 17:44

Hmm, from everything I've read, methinks that 4 minute rule is bullshit - at least 99 times out of a 100!

I was pushing dd1 down for at least 1 hour in the birth canal - she came out perfectly happy.

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread