Cutting of the nuchal cord before birth In the late 1990s, Michael Chow’s family successfully sued the doctors involved in his birth, after he became distressed during an augmentation of labour and was injured from pre-birth cutting of a tight nuchal cord. The family’s legal team presented the court with evidence his doctors should have been … Continue reading
Nuchal Cord: Ritual and Routine
A session presented by Cord-Clamping.Com for the 2012 Virtual International Day of the Midwife conference.
By David Hutchon, Narendra Aladangady and Amanda Burleigh. This article was published by the British Journal of Midwifery in April 2010, Vol. 18, No. 4. pp 269 “Selkirk et al (2008) state that the umbilical cord clamp has ‘evolved into a physiological necessity’. This is quite nonsensical for a number of reasons. Chiefly, physiological evolution … Continue reading
Do you find some birth videos scary to watch? I often search birth videos as one way of learning about the diverse rituals and practices performed during childbirth, across different cultures. Since I’m normally watching for rituals and interventions associated with umbilical cord clamping, I observe the birth attendants closely. I ‘evaluate’ whether I think … Continue reading
A recent article Mother and Baby – Positioning After Birth has been the most ‘shared’ article to date and generated some interesting discussions online. A follow-up post is being drafted with information about the scientific research on gravity, placental transfusion and cord clamping. In the meantime, below are some responses to the ‘Positioning’ article where … Continue reading
“This is the first moment we met each other. I was so overwhelmed and stunned that our baby was here that I hadn’t even picked her up! She is still attached to the cord and the placenta isn’t birthed yet. Before the birth, I had visualised in my head that I would pick her up … Continue reading
Cochrane Review – Effect of timing of umbilical cord clamping of term infants on maternal and neonatal outcomes 2009 The full review report, (plus responses critical of the inclusion of infants requiring phototherapy for jaundice as a significant finding) click here for PDF: cochrane review early vs late cord clamping review with responses Background Policies for timing … Continue reading
Overview of literature on immediate versus delayed cord clamping in full term infants Cord-Clamping.Com wishes to acknowledge the work of student midwife Tina Lundholm in the design and development of this literature overview. At time of writing Tina has completed her degree and has applied for registration to work as clinical midwife in Australia. Please … Continue reading
Elizabeth McKeown shares her 3rd birth story (unassisted) that features in her book: In Search of the Perfect Birth. Elizabeth is a natural birth advocate and owner of In Search of the Perfect Birth Facebook page —————————————————————————————————————- …I lifted the baby out of the water and said to Josh “what’s the time?!” and he said … Continue reading
This article shares information about the common practice of checking for a nuchal cord during the second stage of labour, and unlooping or cutting the cord – interventions that are not evidence-based and can cause birth trauma. It is important women are informed about nuchal cord ‘management’ and how it may affect their birth. Prior … Continue reading
Nurturing Hearts Birth Services has produced a wonderful photo essay of an intact umbilical cord, showing the changes that occur over 15 minutes from the moment of birth. Click here to see the full article and photo essay – Magic Umbilical Cords
This mother shares how her son’s umbilical cord was cut before his shoulders were born. After doing her own research, she decides what her care-provider did was not evidence-based. *** When I was pregnant I did everything right to give my baby the best possible chance for a safe, natural birth. I researched like crazy, hired a doula, … Continue reading
For our first child we planned a home birth attended by a midwife. One of our reasons for choosing a homebirth was because we felt it was important not to rush cord clamping and cutting. When we asked our midwife her position on cord clamping and cutting, her answer was “barring any emergencies, clamping can … Continue reading
The ‘third stage of labour’ is described as the time from birth of the baby to the expulsion of the placenta and membranes. Although succinct, this description does not capture the immense beauty of a natural third stage. Behold the exquisite moment of first contact between mother and baby in an undisturbed birth In natural … Continue reading
When the cord is surgically clamped at birth, the volume of blood within the newborn baby is fixed. While the healthy, full term baby routinely survives early cord clamping, some babies are born prematurely or with a dangerously low blood volume. A low blood volume (hypovolemia) can be caused by compression on the cord, a … Continue reading
DELAYED CORD CLAMPING Delayed cord clamping is a birth practice where the umbilical cord is not clamped or cut until after pulsations have ceased, or until after the placenta is delivered. A growing number of parents are choosing delayed cord clamping for their baby, while some believe in non-severance (lotus birth). (1) While an intact … Continue reading
Cesarean section and delayed cord clamping Delayed clamping of the umbilical cord in cesarean section delivery is possible for many babies. In fact, delayed clamping in cesarean section is standard for some practitioners - to enhance placental transfusion and increase the baby’s blood volume at birth (closer to a physiological level than immediate clamping). This may involve: the baby’s head … Continue reading
Search for ‘birth injury’ in your favourite search engine and you will see plenty of advertisements by legal firms. In the last few years, laywers have caught on to the practice and harms of immediate infant cord clamping too! Maybe having a lawyer at your birth is not such a bad idea, given their understanding of neonatal … Continue reading
World Health Organisation – Essential delivery care practices for maternal and newborn health and nutrition “The first minutes after birth are a very vulnerable period for both mother and newborn. The care that is provided during this time is critical to ensure not only their immediate survival but also to improve their longer-term health and … Continue reading
