Independent Research Topic: “When to Cut the Umbilical Cord”
Advocacy flyer
Cover: Picture of Stewie from “Family Guy” with a speech bubble that says, “Just a
Freakin’ Fetal Minute, mother!”
Urgent Message for Mothers-to-Be: When it’s time to cut the umbilical cord, tell your doctor to wait at least a minute
Inside left page;
Why is the umbilical cord cut immediately after birth?
There are three primary reasons:
o Anesthesia
Formerly, most mothers were knocked out completely with anesthesia, and the cord was clamped immediately to keep the anesthesia from getting into the baby’s bloodstream
o Convenience
“Time is money.” Cutting the cord right away is yet another way of speeding up the institutional birthing process so that everyone can go home more quickly
o Technology
Since the clamping devices and warming trays exist now, there is a need to use them. In the not-so-old days it was normal to leave the baby attached to the umbilical cord resting on its mother for a while
Benefits of Waiting to Clamp and Cut the Umbilical Cord After Birth
o Blood from the placenta that has carried oxygen and nutrients through the umbilical cord to the fetus can continue to do so to strengthen the baby
o Waiting even one minute before clamping and cutting the umbilical cord means that 50% of the blood volume of the placenta will go the baby bringing iron that prevents iron deficiency anemia that can lead to learning delays and impairment. Waiting up to three minutes means that most of the blood volume of the placenta will go to the baby
• Waiting even one minute before clamping and cutting the umbilical cord also means the oxygen coming from the blood through the umbilical cord can help support the baby’s effort to breathe from the air for the first time. Aerating the lungs the first time requires a huge increase blood flow to the lungs. If there is not enough blood coming from the placenta, blood must come from the baby’s organs, which could be damaging to them
o Allowing the blood from the placenta to flow through the umbilical cord to the baby once it is born helps shrink the size of the placenta making it easier to come out and removing the risk of bleeding from the mother
o Stem cells in the umbilical cord’s blood stream can “differentiate” into every other kind of cell in the baby and be of enormous help to the baby’s future health
o T cells in the umbilical cord’s blood stream can help prevent cancer later in the baby’s life
o The additional blood from the placenta provides essential and even life-saving nourishment in many parts of the world where good nutrition is hard to come by including areas in the United States
o The one to three minutes of leaving the baby on its mother attached to the umbilical cord is a moment of peace for the mother, father, and baby and a
time to enjoy the wonder of what has just happened
Inside left page
Risks of Waiting to Clamp and Cut the Umbilical Cord After Birth
o Some medical practitioners have thought that cutting the umbilical cord would prevent an excessive amount of blood from overwhelming the baby’s system. The World Health Organization says that this effect does not happen. “In fact, there is probably a self-regulatory mechanism in the infant which limits the extent of placental transfusion. Moreover, there is evidence that the circulatory system of the newborn is capable of rapid adjustment to an increase in blood volume”
o There can be a mild form of jaundice caused because immature liver cannot process all the bilirubin, a yellow byproduct of breakdown or red blood cells that gets pushed out to tissues and causes baby to look a little yellow. Generally, sunlight gets rid of it, but sometimes there is a need for phototherapy, requiring technology that is not always available in some parts of the world.
Conclusion
So there we have it: Seven huge benefits to delaying the cutting of the umbilical cord and only one risk that is not serious. What will you choose to do?
Back cover:
Picture of a placenta when cut immediately after birth and a picture of a placenta after one to three minutes
Reaction #1 from Meghan who just give birth for the first time three months ago:
I wish I had known about this. My unbilical cord was cut right away even though I had a doula with me in the hospital. I signed a paper to donate the blood in my umbilical cord to a bank possibly to help others one day but was told there was not much blood and that it probably wouldn’t be that helpful. That was all.
Reaction #2 from Isabel who will give birth for the first time in sixth months:
I will definitely tell my doctor that I do not want the umbilical cord cut for three minutes. This is fascinating. I’ve read several pregnancy books and did not know about this option.
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ReplyDeleteDevin,
ReplyDeleteGreat project - you identified an easy change that could be made in our birth practices - not cutting the umbilical cord for one or more minutes - and clarified why this change matters.
The change you propose symbolizes to me the basic binary between the medical model and the natural model. The medical model assumes the connection to the mother (literally in this case) should be chopped ASAP. The natural model assumes that the connection to the mother should be preserved and respected and investigated for health benefits. Is there any reason to chop the umbilical cord at 3 minutes? Would it be bad for the baby or the mother if the umbilical cord remained connected to the placenta while the placenta got pushed out?
You need to cite sources - otherwise your advocacy loses a lot of credibility.
Your flyer, that you showed in class, along with the prop, struck me as persuasive and well-made. But here on this site, the information gets listed but in an ugly and unuseable format. Why not scan the flyer and post it as a downloadable PDF or JPG? Then you could link to it and others could use it and you will be able to access it long after your little flyer gets crumpled and yellow.
Also, why only show it to 2 people? Why not more? Its worth sharing!
Thanks for your work.
hey devin,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated your work! You presented the medical approach as one that may not have an understanding or appreciation of the effects of allowing the umbilical cord to be cut after three minutes and presented the natural approach as being more welcoming to the literal connection between mother and child.
After reading the book that I was assigned to from class, this was brought up but not written about in detail. I was interested in this topic and I'm glad that you provided me with more information.
I liked the way this blog post was written, but perhaps you could have displayed it in a more creative way?
thanks devin,
naima
Devin it seems as though your post was about a simple yet extremely important idea. Knowing when to cut the umbilical cord doesn't seem that important however, your blog helped show me and hopefully your other readers that it truly is. I sensed the battle between medical and natural in your blog because, you stated the perspectives of both natural and medical views.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect of your post that I particularly valued was the fact that it seemed as though you tried to not be to biased with the side you picked. It was clear to me that you were pro waiting at least one minute to cut the umbilical cord. When you initially opened up your arguments you started off stating three reasons why the cord is cut. This was a smart decision because if your readers like me didn't know the reasons, we can learn them from you.
A reason why I think your project matter is because I think many Americans don't know how important the placenta is towards the babies and the mother's health. This obviously raises concerns because we want people that are directly involved in birth to know as much as possible, so that they can make the best decision for their family. I also agree with what Andy said in his comment, you definitely should have showed the flier to more people two is certainly not enough. This information that the public needs to get it's hands on. Please take Andy's advice and try and scan it so more people can see what great work you've done.
I would have appreciated more from you on this topic. Although you blog was solid and much better than mines, I think you could have tried to compare umbilical cord rates across the nation to find out where there were more and less cords being cut and why? You also could have compared umbilical cord rates between countries with better healthcare systems than us such as France? Clearly you didn't need to do any of this since your blog and elevator speech were solid, but there just suggestions.
Nicely done Devin I think your blog and speech were the best in the class. Keep up the good work.
I really like your paper. You talked about this in a way that made me understand it.You did a lot work and research. I feel as when reading the book they didn't talk about it as much as they could have. I also feel that you questioned a lot of things that other people would not have thought about.
ReplyDeleteHere you discussed the benefits and risks of cutting the umbilical cord directly versus waiting a couple minutes.
ReplyDeleteI liked that although you were supporting the idea that the umbilical cord should not be immediately cut, you still wrote out the risks. It shows that you understand that there is no perfect way, only a more beneficial one.
I think this is a really significant aspect of pregnancy and birth that gets overlooked. I doubt that I would have ever thought about my placenta and when the cord should be cut from my child. After reading this, I hope I remember later on when I plan to have children to wait a while before cutting the cord.
It would have been nice however to have a visual, rather than a description of your pamphlet.
Devin,
ReplyDeleteIn your project you discussed the advantages and disadvantages of cutting the umbilical cord at a certain time. Directly after the baby is delivered or waiting a few minutes and cutting it then.
I liked that you focused on our unit’s main idea which is that practices we consider normal are actually very weird and in this case, incorrect. I liked that you argued both points of the spectrum and even though you sided with the umbilical cord not being cut immediately, you left the reader room for them to decide on their own as to which one they preferred. I also liked that you added a bit of experiential side to your academic project by informing a mother and a mother-to-be about the cutting of the umbilical cord and I think their responses summed up how the common people in this country think.
Your project was important to me because I consider myself above what I describe to be as the common people, yet I did not know about the risks and benefits of cutting the umbilical cord at different times. If I ever plan on having kids, I will definitely think about this and instruct my partner’s OB/GYN to cut the umbilical cord after a couple of minutes. And when s/he is cutting the cord, or if get to cut the cord, I might be thinking of you and your project. And to stick in someone’s memory as an influential person, especially in mine, is a true accomplishment. Good Job.
I think your speech was best in the class and I feel bad for the people who did not get to hear it. Your props with Stewie and the model placenta were very creative. Keep up the good work and make sure you make SoF proud when you’re in Cornell.
Devin,
ReplyDeleteYour project on the timing of when to cut the umbilical cord was very specific and fascinating. The benefits of waiting just one minute are quite incredible and it's a wonder why doctors don't do it more often. I think the topic you chose was interesting because it's not something people think about very often. Most of the time, especially on TV, the umbilical cord is cut right away and that's that. I'd never thought about whether that was the right thing until I read your blog. Good job!
Your project was very informational. The umbilical cord isn't a topic that really comes up during birth discussions. Through your project now we know more information that we can share with a woman who will be giving birth in a hospital. You mentioned the seven huge benefits to delaying the cutting of the umbilical cord and that one risk.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you posted your paper because it was very easy to follow. It was like an informational outline.
Your project mattered to me not only because i found it intriguing but also because i have more knowledge over what's good for the child. I never knew this nor did i think it was important and now i see it is.
Great job i really liked your post and elevator speech.
GREAT PROJECT but you have enough comments telling you that.
ReplyDeletethe idea of you piece reminded me of another alternative related to the womens umbilical cord. it was called Lotus birth. sounds weird. it is describes as the practice of leaving the umbilical cord attached to both the baby and the placenta following the birth. the process allows the cord to detach from the baby naturally. I read this on a couple of websites and just wondered if you have heard or seen anything about it to?
Devin,
ReplyDeleteGreat project. I like that you focused in on a very specific and unexplored(at least in our class) topic. You did a very good job of clearly stating what you were studying. You then do a good job of laying out the common practice and then critiquing them using statistical data and other facts from credible sources. It shows the misconception in even something so simple as when to cut the umbilical cord. It is projects such as these that make us question the system we live under. great job.