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Cutting the Umbilical cord...

Last night OH and I were laying in bed (after some very good nookie i might add image ) & the conversation came up about cutting the umbilical cord... this is our first child.. & Ive said I dont want to apply any pressure on OH to do anything he doesn't want to do! He is a proper Jack the lad type ( but has told me he is a little worried about fainting ..Shhh.. lol i didn't tell you all that) He really doesn't cope well with blood or emergencies and always looks to me for guidance! :lol: MEN!! haha

Now when i'm drugged up to the eye balls and my body is going thru massive tramua I wont be able to sort him out as well...

I said he was welcome of course to cut it, but if the time comes and he really doesn't feel able then thats fine too!

He asked me at what point would he have to cut the cord? where he is ment to cut it .. close to the baby or in the middle or close to me? lol the funniest thing he asked me was do they take the baby to be cleaned up first - he had visions of the midwife taking the child acroos the room still attached to me ... lol god only knows how long he thought the cord is... to be honest i didnt think that way right but i really didnt know how long it would be either... I now know its roughtly 20 inches! He thinks thats long but I'm think thats including the bit thats still atached to the inside of me?

But.. he asked what to expect.. I think the cord will be grissel like, I imagine quite hard to cut visions of having to hack through it! :lol: we both agreed we dont think there will be nerves in it so it shouldn't hurt me or the baby? :roll: we think... But i read something about you can make the choice to wait for it to stop pulsing or cut it while it still is pusling... Yuck!

He also asked me if where and how it is cut decides if its an inney or an outty.. :lol:

He asked do the pull the cord to get the placenta out... I really don't know the answer to many of these questions & have tried to have a read up on it but cant find much infor plus anyways personal experiance is always good to learn from!!


Why any one would want to do it is like Ewww... but he seems to want to and thats fine by me...

just could anyone give us a little info on what actually happens ... what it feels like, whats the significants of daddy doing it over anyone else ect..

We have both agreed that the idea of the black thing hanging off our child is discussing so were going to wash him TOGETHER as neither of us really want to touch it!! lol that sounds awful image and prob wont be so bad at the time! :lol:

We were wondering how long the belly button takes to fall of and what are we ment to do with it in the mean time ... like how do we tuck it into the nappy? :roll: oh god help us! lol & when it does fall off what are you ment to do with it :lol:

Lovely girls i once again thank you for you wisdom! lol xxx Mwah! xxx

Replies

  • I haven't thought about any of this stuff, lol. I have seen women giving birth on TV though and it is gory but not in a bad way. The placenta is massive, as big as a plate, and like raw meat! Yucky...but not nasty...I can't really explain it! I'm quite excited - I'm going to take a mirror to watch the head and everything. I want to see all the gross stuff I've created! My boyfriend however doesn't want to watch the baby coming out, he said he would rather stay 'up top' lol. My dad reckons he will change his mind and want to watch it as it is amazing apparently.

    I actually have this weird daydream about my boyfriend delivering the baby! I would really love him to do it! Of course if it really happened I'd be sh*tting myself but yeah....xxx
  • Hmmm - lots of questions!

    As far as I know (and this is what I have been told):

    - the cord is spongy in texture, but they will give you sharp scissors so shouldnt be hard to cut.

    - you DO NOT pull on the cord to get the placenta out as you risk ripping it from the side of the womb causing massive internal bleeding!

    - he will be told by the midwives where to cut thr cord (between the clamps which will be in place to stop either you or the baby bleeding)

    - the cord will be cut and then the baby will be cleaned up and weighed etc.

    - cutting the cord will not cause pain to either mum or baby.


    I dont know much about the belly button cord problem, but i imagine that you need to keep it outside of the nappy to let it dry out as much as possible. I know that you musn't pull it off as the baby will bleed if it hasn't healed properly (like picking a scab that hasn't healed!)

    Hope that some of this has helped!

    xx
  • my oh cut the cord but i couldnt see anything as i was being stitched up on the operating table. you give birth to the placenta or if c-section then they remove it with baby. you can either have an injection so that the placenta it out quickly or have in come out when its ready. you will have minor contractions etc. its best to put a nappy on and fold it down where the cord is on baby but a nappy will just go over it. i cant remember how long it took lo's to fall off but when it does just throw it away. just make sure it is well cleaned when still attached. its not that bad. good luck.
  • it-must-be-love

    Firstly stop bragging about your fun times last night - we're banned (since 14 weeks) so we don't even think about those things anymore!!!!!

    Secondly I just had to respond - haven't got any info cos last two were sections and my first was nearly 20 years ago, but you made me laugh so much - the vision of the mw walking across the room with the baby pulling you along behind them was too much!!! And the bit about both of you washing the lo cos neither of you want to touch the black thing!!!!!

    Sorry, I wasn't much help but you gave me such a giggle!!!

    On a serious note, you really won't worry about any of this when lo is born cos you'll both be so busy blubbing (yes, even Jack the lad!) and happy to meet him/her!

    As for cord, you just need to keep it dry and clean - just dry it off after bathing etc and as holly said, fold nappy down at front until it drops off - usually around a week. You can keep it if you want (I never have!) - perhaps make it into a necklace for your oh!!!!!

    Good luck!xx
  • lol yeah we were laughting as well... I said i'd as in here to day! lol told him i'd put down about baby still being attached that image to me was Soooo funny! lol xx
  • lol dont worry luv sure well get some answers on here! xx
  • the cord thing took bout 5 days to fall off my little girl and the hospital give u this talc stuff that u sprinkle on each day to help dry it up.My mum cut her cord as my husband wasnt keen on doing it,he thought hed hurt baby!!
  • Hi all
    I've just asked my dh if he will be cutting the cord and whilst screwing his face up in disgust he said no!!!!! Said its too squeamish...since when he's been an expert on these things is news to me!!
    Must admit, was surprised at his answer, but hey ho!! As long as he's there, i'll be happy - keep visualising me giving birth on the bathroom floor alone!!!
    Sarah xx
  • Lol - hubby and I had the same conversation a few weeks ago. He wants to cut the cord but is really scared, I have a feeling he will faint and he wants to stay up top with me. He doesn't want to see the baby coming out as he is very squimish. We have left it as, if he feels ok at the time he will cut it and if not then he won't. I'm happy with this. I just want him there and if it means not cutting the cord that's fine with me!
    xxx
  • lol that really helps when he get home i'm gonna read all this too him... lol bungying baby! haha x
  • Hi there! Just a quick reply as i'm at work and shouldn't really be on here but i'm addicted! When i had my twins, my hubby wasn't given a chance to cut the cord as the midwives did it in case the girls needed help breathing etc. This time i'm really hoping he can do it as we are only having one!

    I have experienced first hand at cutting a cord and it is a lovely feeling. It sounds weird but i felt really privileged (sp?!) to be welcoming my nephew into the world by doing this! My sister in law decided she would wait until the cord had stopped pulsating before having it cut. It wasn't at all gory, the cord wasn't as hard as i thought it would be, but the scissors they use are quite big and sharp! All in all, i would say it is a lovely experience and can ensure your partner feels involved in the birth a little!

    Lucy 18 + 4 image
  • My hubby didn't want to cut the cord either, at first I was a tad offended that he didn't want to, but then realised if it was going to make him squeamish then it was best he didn't, as I didn't want him going faint on me! The cord is quite thick and very gristly, I watched the midwife cut it and it looked really tough going! She asked if I wanted to cut it but to be honest I was too knackered! My baby didn't cry when she was born so the midwife was quite keen to get the cord cut quickly so she could get her to the resucitation table and give her a "whiff of oxygen", as she put it. She scored 9 out of 10 on the Apgar scale so was okay. If your OH did want to cut the cord the midwife would show him where to do it and hand him the scissors (not your normal kitchen type, they're bigger). It doesn't matter how it's cut, it won't give your baby and inney or outey if it is cut "wrong", as the cut end will be about an inch from your baby's belly button. The cord is clamped near your baby's belly button and the cord is cut behind this, nearer to you. The clamp is like a tiny freezer bag clip that locks. The clamp was removed with a special tool when she was 3 days old, when we had the first home visist from a midwife. I was really squeamish about cleaning the cord before my baby was born, but honestly you don't worry about it when they are here, you just get on with it. Her cord fell off when she was 10 days old, I was changing her nappy and it was stuck to the inside of the nappy like a shrivelled raisin! The midwife may "tug" on the cord to help the placenta out, but only after you have had the injection to get things going (can't remember what it's called now but it speeds up the last stage, passing the placenta). Your OH should not tug on the cord as it is a controlled and gentle tug by an experienced midwife who will know when your placenta is detached from your uterus. You don't have to have the injection to help you pass the placenta but I believe without it, it can take about an hour to pass it out. Time best spend cuddling your newborn in my opinion! If you can stomach it, get your midwife to show you the placenta, it is an amazing thing that has kept your baby alive all those months. It comes out of you inside out, if you imagine the placenta is inside the sac holding the baby (can't remember what it is called, having a dim moment and it was 10 months ago!), the sac tears to let the baby out, and the cord follows. So when the cord is pulled with the placenta on the end, the sac flips over them and encases them, so it comes out inside out. The placenta was smaller than I imagined (although hubby thought it was huge!) and I have to admit we took it home and buried it in the garden, under a rose bush called Mothers Joy. I know that's not for everyone but I was in awe of this organ that had sustained my little girl for so long. Sorry this has been a long reply, I got carried away reminiscing!
  • Eugh I am so not gonna cope giving birth! Don't want to see any gore or do any cutting, just have a nice clean baby handed to me! Hubby is instructed to stay up top and I don't think he'll object, nookie causes him a problem just now cos he keeps thinking of the wee one in there, so certainly don't want him put off for life!!
    I,m starting NCT classes on thursday, I'm really hoping they will get me through the fear!
    xx
  • So glad I posted this when I get home i'll show him all this! love the idea of asking for my baby to be the example! image
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