Filming the delivery

[RedRoses]

Originally Posted by EvilEvilKitten

Then there's that wonderful experience of checking over the placenta with the doctor to make sure it was all out. a large flattish dark blood mass of lumpy jello with a red rope hanging from it. Lovely.

A friend of mine was really flabbergasted over that. As the nurse explained how the baby had been in there, she was like: get that thing away from me! Whereas I also know some women really liked to see what had been the baby's protective and nursing bubble for months.

The placenta is actually a wonderful thing. It has functioned during pregnancy as the baby's lungs, kidney, gut and liver. And after birth; it can even provide new-born-CPR. As long as the umbilical cord is connected, it can provide the baby with that bit of extra blood it needs. In fact; early clamping of the cord (clamping while it is still pulsing) deprives the baby of 54 to 160 ml of blood, which is about half the baby’s blood volume at birth. Especially for a baby that is weak or not breathing too well, this blood can be life-saving. For a healthy baby, delayed cord-clamping can provide him an easier and healthier transition into this world.

Not to mention how some people contribute spiritual value to the placenta. Some actually take the placenta home in, like ritually burying it with a tree. Even Lotus Births, in which the baby and the placenta remain united by the umbilical cord, until it separates naturally. There are no proven health risks, though there is indication it possibly poses risk of jaundice. There is no known health-value in leaving the placenta attached after the pulsing has stopped, only spiritual. It is perhaps a weird idea. Yet: it is the baby's DNA, so maybe not that weird at all.

That's another aspect parents may like to think about when having their baby; do they want the cord clamped early, late or not at all?
You may want to get informed about your options at the hospital.

For scientific background, see articles such as these:
Effect of timing of umbilical cord clamping of term infants on maternal and neonatal outcomes
Early versus delayed umbilical cord clamping in preterm infants
Umbilical cord clamping and preterm infants: a randomised trial. -- Kinmond et al. 306 (6871): 172

[Firmus]

Originally Posted by RedRoses

I actually find it a bit sad your father never got to be part of it. It is amazing what this experience can do for you as a couple. The moment your child is born, you are "born" as parents. And the first few moments after birth are an incredible jumpstart for the bond you both develop with your child.

Yeah he always wished he could too. I'm 12 years younger than my nearest sibling (I'm the baby ) so it was all back in the early 60's when the others were born. Fathers flat weren't allowed in.

I couldn't imagine missing what I've witnessed.

[EvilEvilKitten]

And husbands are sternly counseled NOT to resent or remember what a woman in labor might say. Like that lady down the hall swearing enough to make sailor or a longshoreman blush in shame and run for cover. I thought she was very articulate and quite inventive but then she wasn't yelling at me. My husband wanted to hide though.