# Why do people wait for the cord to sop pulsing before cutting it?



## Broody85

Hiya, well my question is basically the title. Iv seen in a number of birth stories that people like to let the cord stop pulsing before it's cut but I was just wondering why? I thought this would be the best place to ask :flower:


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## birdiex

A baby's blood circulates throughout their whole body AND through the cord and placenta. At any one time, a baby has around 30% of their blood in the placenta, and cutting their cord straight away at birth can deprive them of 30-50% of their own blood. Their little body has to make up all of that blood again, and that's not good for them. Not one little bit!

There are loads of great articles on google :thumbup:


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## Broody85

Ahh really, I didn't realise there would be so much! I will defo want to wait if i can in that case. Thanks hun, Iv wondered that for ages :) x


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## birdiex

Early clamping and cutting of the cord is also no good for a baby in distress. If your baby isn't breathing to start with, they are still getting their oxygen from the umbilical cord and placenta. If that's cut, it's like them being strangled! Of course the medical team are trying to do what's best, but your LO will most likely just start breathing on their own anyway. It means that all of their vital cord blood and oxygen are being cut off, and they're being whipped away to be resuscitated for a not very good reason.

Of course, thank God for the medical professionals when they are needed, but they seem to think they are even when they aren't! :thumbup:

Here's a link that explains it a little better than I just did.
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=192498934109512


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## superbecks

It is true that late cord clamping does increase the blood volume and iron level in a new born baby however there is a study done by the world health organisation that shows a significantly higher number of babies needed phototherapy for jaundice in the late cord clamping group. They did a study between those who had early and late cord clamping and there was no difference in apgar scores or respiratory distress. I think when looking at articles on google u have to be careful......they might not always be scholarly articles x


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## Linzi

Thanks for this info been wondering myself & think it is def something Ill put into my birth plan :) 

How long does it usually go on for? until the placenta is delivered? x


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## Bournefree

That is a tricky question to answer, as it is different for every baby.. but not a very long time at all. YOu are talking in terms of minutes.

Essentially as soon as baby take the first breath, which is a reflex reaction to the stimulation of colder air after birth, the babies circulation makes a rapid change in the major vessels near the liver.. this diverts de-oxygenated blood that was previously going to the cord and the placenta for oxygen, to the lungs. This is of course essential for survival of the infant, which is why it happens rapidly.. hopefully under a minute... but it can also be slower for some babies. However the cord can continue to pulse as it is still attached to mum - and mums hormonal reactions are slightly slower in detaching the placenta. It can be quite difficult to pin point between the 2 processes. So it is better that the cord be allowed to stop pulsing naturally.

There will be a separation of the placenta sometime before the birth of the placenta... but this also can vary allot in different women. Your MWs will look for separation blood to indicate the placenta has become detached... also you may notice a lengthening of your cord as it becomes detached.

Some women deliver the placenta (naturally) in 15 min.. others like myself took over an hour (I was at the upper-end of normal!) My experience of the cord stopping pulsing was about 20mins... though, this was mostly down to the cord being "pulsed" by the placenta.. and not babies circulation. She was breathing well at 1 min, fully pink by 5 mins.

Hope that is clear as mud!

But the essential thing is that keeping the cord intact until it has stopped pulsing allows your baby to establish breathing and make the switch to the lungs for oxygen, and get as much as there own blood back as possible from the placenta (after all the placenta is big in comparison to the babies body), It also will not interfere or inhibit the hormonal feedback that occurs between mum and baby to facilitate the 3rd stage.
XxX


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## Linzi

I delivered my placenta in 15 mins last time which is why I was wondering. I didn't like it much when it was out, even less when MW showed me (could have been also down to general crappy sick feeling after the pethedine), so I'd rather it be over and done with before I delivered it. I know my delivery of the placenta was fairly "quick" my MW told me. I know that sounds really stupid and pathetic but I don't really do well with my own blood :/

So if it hasn't stopped pulsing by the time I deliver the placenta, would she get the same benefit of being on there for a longer amount of time?

xxx


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## Bournefree

It really wouldn't be pulsing without the placenta. If you were quick to deliver the placenta last time, it will rapidly stop plusing, as it will no longer be circulating blood to/from the placenta. Sorry I'm prob making this more confusing than it is!

So in your case last time, I guessing that baby pinked up really quickly and there wasn't any delay to first breath - so babies lung circulation was established in under a minute. Then your placenta prob detached within about 5 min and after a few contractions, and 15mins later you delivered the placenta. 
Did you have an injection? Or was it a 15min natural 3rd stage.. as that is pretty quick. 
XxX


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## Linzi

No I didn't have an injection, it just came out on it's own. His apgar was pretty good and he cried straight away so... I dont really know how it all works really just remember the nurse saying it was pretty quick!! 

Thanks for the info hun very helpful :) xx


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## Bournefree

That is really quite cool!
Now I wonder how I can get mine to come in less than an hour next time?? hahaha ;-) 
XxX


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## Linzi

is that abnormal?

Im going to check my report I got later to make sure it's right :rofl:

xxx


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## Bournefree

God no YOUR not abnormal.. I'd argue that I was on the edge of being normal - but then, there is no surprise there! Just wanted to know if you have any tips? It gets a little borring after a while - though it's not that I was going anywhere special.Xx


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## Mervs Mum

I've seen a few including my own out in under 15 mins physiologically and the longest was 1hr 15mins. Up to 2 hours is fine. If you have the injection you are at higher risk of retaining some or all of y our placenta as the drug works so quickly. Ideally if you weren't clamping the cord prematurely you'd want to wait for it to finish pulsing before administering the injection to avoid cross over. Cords seem to pulse for anything up to 20mins and as BF said once the placenta comes away if its not already stopped it quickly will. The first hour after baby is born is gone in a flash so even an hour for a placenta to come wouldnt normally feel long especially if you and your new family are enjoying some skin to skin and private bonding time. Xx


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## birdiex

Apparently, and I could be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that giving birth in a deep squat helps it come with the next contraction? I could be wrong!


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## Linzi

lol tbh hun I don' even really remember it happening. I don't remember anything about actually giving birth. I don't remember him crying, first time I held him, anything because I was whacked out on pethedine. They gave me it because they didn't think I'd be as quick as I was with to give birth to him, so when I did give birth I was just completely out of it and don't remember a thing :( xx


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## Mervs Mum

I'm sure gravity would help but what definitely does for most is immediate uninterrupted skin to skin and then initiating breast-feeding.


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## NaturalMomma

Most placentas come out within 20 minutes. The cord usually only pulsates for about 2-5 minutes (sometimes longer or shorter) after baby is born. Sometimes the placenta will come out a lot later, and sometimes needs manual removing. A deep squat helps with bringing baby out because that is how you make your pelvis as big as it can get. But I don't think that would do much for the placenta. It's not the position which makes the placenta take x amount of time, it's the hormones from birth.


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## Broody85

Just revisited this thread and wanted to say thank you for all the info. It's really interesting to know. I hope one day to be able to do it myself :)


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## babywanted

Thanks for asking and answering this question. I've been curious about the pulsing myself.


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## pinkclaire

I've been wondering about a lot of this as well so thank you xxx


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## Mommy's Angel

I'm a type II diabetic and am told that because of that, my baby's risks are higher for jaundice and polycythemia because of that. I decided to contact the author/Dr/blogger of Acedemic OBGYN to see if there are any studies backing that claim because I'd love to delay at least 1 to 2 minutes. I don't however, want to cause my baby harm either. Which is why I'm reseaching if there's a difference in babies of diabetics that delay cord cutting. 

I'd love for my sweet little one to get his or her full blood.


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## Blah11

This thread has changed my mind and will probably go for a physiological 3rd stage this time :)


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## lynnikins

just from my own experience cord was cut quick with ds1,he still had jaundice ( brought on severly by an ABO reaction ) that needed light therapy for a week following birth, with ds2 the cord was allowed to stop pulsating before it was cut and he suffered no jaundice dispite it being something that nearly all children in the family on both my side and DH's side suffered from.

i know ds1 had additional factors in his jaundice but the fact that ds2 had none at all dispite us expecting it because both OH and I were jaundiced as babies leads me to believe that the cord cutting time if anything went in ds2's favor, but would have made ds1 even more sick had it not been cut right away due to his complications


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