“When a baby has a gentle landing at birth, they will have an intact capacity to love and trust!”
There is growing evidence that waiting to clamp and cut the cord until it has stopped pulsing will help your baby transition more gently to life outside of your womb and give them a healthier start. At birth, the average baby has approximately 450ml of blood. More or less 2/3 of that blood is in the baby at birth and 1/3 is in the placenta. Waiting until the cord is completely white before it is cut, ensures that your baby will get that extra 150ml and therefore 100% of their blood supply. Your baby deserves that gift!
Penny Simkin, founder of DONA (Doulas of North America) describes the baby/placenta blood volume very clearly.
Ibu Robin Lim, a midwife and author in Bali calls any care provider who cuts the cord too early a “vampire in the room”. If possible, Robin and the other midwives of Bumi Sehat leave the placenta attached for at least three hours if not longer.
Dr. Stuart Fischbein a homebirth obstetrician, speaks out about the benefits of optimal cord clamping.
More information on Optimal Cord Clamping can be found on Midwife Amanda Burleigh’s website Wait for White.