# Cord Cutting?



## zBaby

How long does everyone plan on waiting?


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## disneyleanne

We will be waiting until it stops pulsating before hubby cuts it.


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## Geegees

Same as disneyleanne :)


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## zBaby

I plan on laboring at home (as much as possible) and delivering in the hospital...
We are REALLY hoping that the doctor/nurses will allow us to also wait until the cord stops pulsating...
anyone have any experience with this?


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## disneyleanne

I'm not sure how things are done in the US but in the UK it is the parents decision and they should state that to their health care professionals before the birth and also in their birth plan. I think the only time there may be a problem is in an emergency.:flower:


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## Tacey

We're waiting until it goes limp and whitish, like you can see in these pictures. We had no issues with our midwives waiting to cut last time. They said it was pretty common for parents to wait these days. I imagine it depends on your hospital though. This time we're using our own cord tie instead of a clip too. I hope they'll be as supportive of that!


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## zBaby

thankyou! photos were very helpful!


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## NaturalMomma

I waited until the placenta was out, that was about 15 minutes.


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## zBaby

Ooh thanks,
I didnt know you could wait for the placenta to come out


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## weffi82

We waited until cord stopped Pulsatin, it was in my birth plan to have delayed cord cuttin but as labour was so quick i never discussed with midwife but she just waited anyway!


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## madasa

zBaby said:


> How long does everyone plan on waiting?

If I had any more, I'd wait until the placenta was out and it stops pulsating. If you wait long enough, it "clamps" itself.

https://www.writeaboutbirth.com/index.php/whartons-jelly-the-natural-umbilical-cord-clamp/birth/


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## Sam Pearson

With my first the cord was cut before the placenta was birthed and the midwives pulled on the cord - bad idea both for baby who didn't receive the full transfusion from her placenta with all those prescious stem cells and for myself (risk of PPH with cord traction).

With my second I birthed at home with midwives. We waited until baby and placenta was born and I said I was ready and my eldest child cut his baby sister's cord. It had stopped pulsing.

With my third I freebirthed at home and we Lotus Birthed meaning that we didn't cut the cord at all but allowed the cord to detach naturally which occurred 4 days and 2 hours after my daughter was born. That was my favourite.


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## Heather M

NaturalMomma said:


> I waited until the placenta was out, that was about 15 minutes.

^WSS^ With our first we waited until the cord stopped pulsating...with dd#2 we waited until the placenta delivered (also about 15 minutes). It was interesting in the days after as I found dd#2 was quite red the first day or two and then had one day of jaundice. I didn't realize that getting all the extra blood cells due to waiting that little bit longer could contribute to that as it means they have more cells to break down...the jaundice was pretty much gone in the next day or two so it was nothing to be concerned about at all...just something I wasn't aware of!


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## bubbles

I'm not 100% decided, we waited until it had stopped pulsating with DD but I love the idea of lotus birthing. Chances are I'll state I'm going to lotus birth and decide on the day whether to cut or not


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## motherearth23

madasa said:


> zBaby said:
> 
> 
> How long does everyone plan on waiting?
> 
> If I had any more, I'd wait until the placenta was out and it stops pulsating. If you wait long enough, it "clamps" itself.
> 
> https://www.writeaboutbirth.com/index.php/whartons-jelly-the-natural-umbilical-cord-clamp/birth/Click to expand...

thanks for the article! i've always supported delayed cord-clamping, i will be waiting for my placenta to birth and the cord to clamp itself. might even try lotus style birth, and wait a few days for it to drop off naturally. although i think it will be just fine to wait a few hours instead ;)


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## BunInTheBelly

I'm going to try to go until the cord goes white. I'm not sure if that's going to be allowed in the hospital in the US, does anyone know? Not pregnant yet but I'd love to deliver at a local birthing center (where they would allow it, I think), but my insurance doesn't cover them currently.


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## madasa

BunInTheBelly said:


> I'm going to try to go until the cord goes white. I'm not sure if that's going to be allowed in the hospital in the US, does anyone know? Not pregnant yet but I'd love to deliver at a local birthing center (where they would allow it, I think), but my insurance doesn't cover them currently.

It might be difficult in a US hospital, but as for waht is "allowed" - humph, YOU decide that! :D Check your hospital policy beforehand and write a plan of care for labour. :D


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## madasa

PS. With my first it was clamped and cut immediately :( With my second we waited a good 10-15 minutes, but I do wish I'd waited until after the placenta was out.


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## motherearth23

madasa said:


> BunInTheBelly said:
> 
> 
> I'm going to try to go until the cord goes white. I'm not sure if that's going to be allowed in the hospital in the US, does anyone know? Not pregnant yet but I'd love to deliver at a local birthing center (where they would allow it, I think), but my insurance doesn't cover them currently.
> 
> It might be difficult in a US hospital, but as for waht is "allowed" - humph, YOU decide that! :D Check your hospital policy beforehand and write a plan of care for labour. :DClick to expand...

That is why... as a US citizen... I am deciding to birth at home with a midwife. I don't want to take any chances of having my birth plan disrespected!


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## xSin

Haven't decided on a set 'time' yet... until placenta is delivered is what I'd ideally like. I asked my midwife if my placenta doesn't move up (I have partial placenta previa) and I'm forced to have a caesarean as a result, if I can still request a delayed cord clamping and cutting and she said it shouldn't be a problem so fingers crossed!!!


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## Lozdi

I'm planning a Lotus Birth, so no cord cutting here! However, if I changed my mind about the Lotus, I would at least wait til the cord stopped pulsating.


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## ZoeZo

Thank you for the info! I knew I wanted to delay clamping, and that people talk of pulsing, but I had no idea the cord would turn white!


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## oh_so_blessed

Has there been shown to be any benefit for waiting any longer than when the cord is done pulsating, or is this just a holistic preference?


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## PhotoLC

I'm having a hospital birth in the US and my midwife said it's fine with them to wait until it stops pulsating.


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## bunnyg82

I had a hospital birth and had in my birth plan to wait until the cord stopped pulsing, which they were happy to go with :)


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## mrsp14

Lozdi said:


> I'm planning a Lotus Birth, so no cord cutting here! However, if I changed my mind about the Lotus, I would at least wait til the cord stopped pulsating.

I really wanted a lotus birth but OH is completely freaked by the idea and I think it would put him off going anywhere near the baby until the cord dropped off, which I think would be a shame for the bonding. So I'm just going to leave it until its stopped pulsing and turned white, and the placenta is delivered.


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## Gettingcloser

Waiting till it stops pulsating and turns white. Also waiting on the placenta to work its way out naturally.


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## Gettingcloser

I like Tacey's response with the pictures. That was how I planned doing mine.


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## Sam Pearson

oh_so_blessed said:


> Has there been shown to be any benefit for waiting any longer than when the cord is done pulsating, or is this just a holistic preference?

Yes, that's right, there are no physiological benefit but other benefits for the baby and family.


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## maidelyn

oh_so_blessed said:


> Has there been shown to be any benefit for waiting any longer than when the cord is done pulsating, or is this just a holistic preference?

According to this article from BMJ there are benefits related to improved iron levels and reduced anaemia, only reason why I'm considering it as I don't go in for all the holistic stuff.


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## mumof1+1

Hi ladies. I popped over here to start a thread about my latest labour when I stimbles across this thread. With my DS i wanted to delay cord cutting but I had to be transferred to hospital to have him due to complications. When he was finally born he was very blue and needed a little help to begin with so they cut it and swept him away.

I am hoping that this time I will get my natural home birth and have this morning, thanks to this article decided that, aslong a I get my homebirth all the way this time, I will be cutting the cord as FOB doesn't wish to again and I will be waiting as long as possible, if I can wait until the placenta is out then I will but when it stops pulsating at the earliest :)

Thank you for your help with this decision by means of this article ladies :) xxx


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## zBaby

mumof1+1 said:


> Hi ladies. I popped over here to start a thread about my latest labour when I stimbles across this thread. With my DS i wanted to delay cord cutting but I had to be transferred to hospital to have him due to complications. When he was finally born he was very blue and needed a little help to begin with so they cut it and swept him away.
> 
> I am hoping that this time I will get my natural home birth and have this morning, thanks to this article decided that, aslong a I get my homebirth all the way this time, I will be cutting the cord as FOB doesn't wish to again and I will be waiting as long as possible, if I can wait until the placenta is out then I will but when it stops pulsating at the earliest :)
> 
> Thank you for your help with this decision by means of this article ladies :) xxx




:hugs:I hope everything works out!


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## cahgirl87

BunInTheBelly said:


> I'm going to try to go until the cord goes white. I'm not sure if that's going to be allowed in the hospital in the US, does anyone know? Not pregnant yet but I'd love to deliver at a local birthing center (where they would allow it, I think), but my insurance doesn't cover them currently.

Just wanted to let you know that you don't have to accept that your insurance doesn't cover the birthing center. I wanted to give birth at a birth center but my insurance didn't cover it either. You can call your insurance company and tell them you want a GAP acception. I was told it was a nightmare to get this, especially with United Health Care (which is who I had) but all I had to do was call it in to my insurance company and they said they would need some codes to put it in the system. I had my midwife call them to give them the info and got a letter back saying they would cover the birth at the in network price.

Just wanted to let you know since I was worried I wouldn't get the birth I wanted. Birth centers are AMAZING! At least my experience was amazing! Hope you get the birth you want! :flower:


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