Cord Cutting...

alicorl

Are you waiting until the cord stops beating before cutting? If so why?

celiabwatson

Yes, because there's no reason not to. If the cord is still doing it's job I say let it. When it stops doing it's job then baby doesn't need it anymore. 

elizxu

Yes, we plan on waiting for about 2-3 minutes. Probably won't stop pulsing during that time, but the majority of the blood will reach the baby. We see no reason in cutting immediately.

repedrick

I discussed this with my doctor a couple weeks ago. His standard practice is to wait 1-2 minutes to cut unless there's a medical reason to cut and get the baby to an exam table or something right away. He said that in 1-2 minutes most of the blood should be cycled back to baby. There will be some that has not that baby won't get but he thinks thats okay. There are studies and he has witnessed first hand- waiting too long can actually cause too much blood to cycle back to the baby and cause jaundice but also cutting too quickly can cause baby to be anemic until their body builds it back up. He's found that between 1 and 2 minutes is a happy medium.

He seemed confident in his reasoning so we're trusting him and going with that. 

Linnea503

repedrick:

I discussed this with my doctor a couple weeks ago. His standard practice is to wait 1-2 minutes to cut unless there's a medical reason to cut and get the baby to an exam table or something right away. He said that in 1-2 minutes most of the blood should be cycled back to baby. There will be some that has not that baby won't get but he thinks thats okay. There are studies and he has witnessed first hand- waiting too long can actually cause too much blood to cycle back to the baby and cause jaundice but also cutting too quickly can cause baby to be anemic until their body builds it back up. He's found that between 1 and 2 minutes is a happy medium.

He seemed confident in his reasoning so we're trusting him and going with that. 

This is exactly what I was told in my childbirth education class as well. 

erinwhitney1979

We're planning on waiting until the placenta is delivered until we cut the cord. We're also having a homebirth, so no reason to do it before then. The baby will receive extra iron, stem cells and vitamin k if the cord blood is allowed to flow back into baby, so I say wait.  

Lilena

We are waiting for all the reason's pp 'ers have said. We waited with DS#1 and are doing the same.