Cutting the umbilical cord: cutting technique and clamping, timing

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The birth of a child is an exciting and responsible process not only for parents, but also for the baby. If possible, it should proceed naturally and as easily as possible - the state of he alth of both depends on this. And now the newborn is on the mother's stomach, and after a while the doctors proceed to another mandatory procedure - cutting the umbilical cord. But does everyone understand exactly when this should happen? Meanwhile, the condition of the child largely depends on this!

The bond between mother and child

What is the umbilical cord? This is a special body, the importance of which clearly should not be underestimated. It is due to it that the connection between the mother's body and initially the embryo, and subsequently the fetus, is ensured. In another way, this organ is called the umbilical cord. At the same time, one end of it comes from the placenta, and the other is “fixed” on the abdominal wall of the baby. It is at this point that it is formednavel.

The smooth sheath of the umbilical cord is similar to rubber - elastic and shiny. The thickness of the cord is 15-20 mm. As for the length, it varies from 500 to 700 mm, which gives the fetus relative freedom in the cavity of the reproductive organ. At the same time, this can lead to dangerous entanglements, which can make the process of natural childbirth much more difficult.

What is the importance of cutting the umbilical cord? Its main function is to provide the child with the necessary nutrients for the period of its intrauterine development and the removal of metabolic products. In other words, the described organ is the only opportunity for the child to fully develop. But the baby also breathes through the umbilical cord. But he does it in a different way - through the blood, since the lungs are not yet fully developed, and he himself swims in the amniotic fluid.

The umbilical cord is needed while the baby is inside the mother, but after birth there is no need for it - and it is cut. The moment when it is cut off is marked by the period of cessation of intrauterine development and the beginning of a new life for the child. But when exactly should you do it?

Brief Anatomical Reference

The umbilical cord, which connects the fetus to the mother's body, includes two arteries and one vein. The first deliver blood to the child, rich in oxygen and nutrients. The vein is responsible for the removal of carbon dioxide and metabolic products.

All this is placed in the gelatinous connective tissue, which eventually forms the umbilical cord. This environment provides protectionblood vessels from mechanical damage, including kinks and twists.

Arguments against early circumcision of the umbilical cord

As we know, after the birth of a child, the umbilical cord is cut. However, not everyone understands the full responsibility of this procedure. You can’t immediately take and cut such an important organ for a child after it is born. And here's why…

While the baby is passing through the birth canal, he “shrinks” a little and a certain amount of blood (about 200 ml) flows out of his body into the umbilical cord. Thanks to this, it becomes easier for him to pass through the passage to the light. And after he appeared, the blood returns back through the umbilical cord. And if the doctor does not hesitate and immediately "cuts off" this connection between the mother and the child, he deprives him of the replenishment of "blood loss". Is it a joke - a whole glass of plasma?!

The liver, which is responsible for the synthesis of blood cells, is forced to experience an increased load in order to restore the lost balance. And since this organ has not yet been fully developed in a child, it is not able to simultaneously engage in the synthesis of blood cells and the excretion of bilirubin. This is precisely the importance of cutting the cord late.

It is for this reason that many babies in maternity hospitals develop jaundice, which is purely physiological in nature. And what is characteristic, those children who had a similar phenomenon in a mild form, could have completely avoided this if the doctors cut the umbilical cord not immediately after the birth of the child, buta bit later. In the case of a strong stage of jaundice, it was necessary to wait for the end of the pulsation of the umbilical cord after childbirth.

Another negative factor

There is another negative factor after the umbilical cord is cut immediately after childbirth. And the point here is the following. Although the child after birth is outside the reproductive organ, he is still connected to the mother through the umbilical cord, through which the child still receives blood and, accordingly, oxygen.

Here's another argument against cutting the umbilical cord during childbirth. Immediately after the birth of the baby, the lungs are still stuck together, and a certain time must pass for them to open. And this should happen gradually and smoothly. Therefore, for the time being, it is impossible to break the connection in any case. If this is done, then the child literally becomes unable to breathe, and he takes his first breath.

His lungs, which are still weak, are forced to open abruptly, which for a child is comparable to a burn and causes him pain.

Hour X

How long should it take to then be able to break the connection between the child and the mother without any consequences? By and large, everything here is purely individual. But the main landmark for cutting the umbilical cord is after the end of the pulsation or its noticeable weakening. In some cases, it is enough to wait 5 minutes, in others a little more - up to 20 minutes. According to some experts, it is better to endure at least 24 hours. During this period, all the energy from the placenta will be successfully transferred to all meridianschild's body, which is in line with the Tibetan tradition.

In other cases, the energy connection is left intact for the next few days. However, this requires some preparation and effort to avoid putrefaction of the placenta. At the same time, it should be on the same level with the child, not lower and not higher. It is very important for blood circulation.

Mystery from ancient times

Since ancient times, the procedure for breaking up a mother with a child has been akin to a real sacrament. As they thought in those centuries, at that time the child was “charged” with positive energy, which he would need in his future life. Moreover, if you entrust childbirth with cutting the umbilical cord to a benevolent person, this was considered a good sign.

Now everything has changed dramatically - childbirth takes place in specialized institutions where sterility is strictly observed. In most cases, the connection between the child and the mother is interrupted by the doctor using special medical instruments, which must undergo preliminary processing. As a result, the risk of birth infection is minimized.

Anatomically, the umbilical cord is arranged in such a way that after a certain period of time after the birth of a child, it begins to atrophy, and on its own. After all, the need for this body disappears, and it is no longer needed. Previously, the period of its cutting was determined exclusively by doctors. Only they decided when it was worth carrying out such a responsible and important procedure.

Now in numerousIn private clinics, the parents themselves decide on cutting the umbilical cord - to do it (the father) himself or to entrust the doctor. But in any case, doctors are always present next to the woman to control the whole situation.

Heavy stress

Does it hurt the baby when the umbilical cord is cut? In order to answer this question, it is worth understanding how the birth process proceeds. Meanwhile, this is a rather strong stressful situation not only for the mother, but also for her child. Many women believe that their baby does not feel anything, in reality, everything is not as it might seem at first glance. After all, the child first moves through the birth canal, then enters a new and unusual habitat. And since newborns cannot speak yet, they express their emotional state by crying.

At the same time, the birth of a child is pure psychological stress on his body. If childbirth proceeds safely, then during manipulation using scissors to cut the umbilical cord, children usually do not experience physical pain. Otherwise, obstetrician-gynecologists would give children painkillers, but, as practice shows, they do not do this.

Mother nature provides for everything - from the beginning of conception to the very birth of the baby. When the umbilical cord is cut off, the baby also does not feel physical pain, again due to the physiological features of the umbilical cord - it simply lacks nerve endings.

After the mother puts the baby to the breast, he calms down a little and endorphins are produced in his body. Thanks to this, the baby tolerates cutting the umbilical cord calmly. For a long time, postpartum tactics ruled out such a possibility, but after scientific research, everything has changed.

It has been proven that when the baby lies on the mother's breast, he adapts better to spontaneous breathing. And only then scissors are used to cut the umbilical cord. And this means that getting used to new conditions is going well.

From extreme to extreme…

As we now know, it is impossible to cut the umbilical cord immediately after the birth of a child (God forbid, still in the process) for certain reasons. However, in a number of countries, the procedure for early separation between mother and child is still followed. For example, in Europe and the USA there are even rules that state that this “operation” must be carried out after a certain period of time after the baby is born (from 30 to 60 seconds).

From another point of view, one should wait for the umbilical cord to fall off on its own. This is the so-called practice of "lotus childbirth." That is, the mother remains connected with the child through an important intrauterine organ for several days.

The truth is somewhere near… And usually it is exactly in the middle - many scientists tend to agree that the umbilical cord should be cut after its pulsation stops or noticeably weakens.

Umbilical cord cutting technique

Postpartum activities, including cutting the umbilical cord, largely depend not only on the medical institution where the child is born, but also on the country. Most obstetrician-gynecologists after the baby is born immediately put it on the mother's chest without touching the umbilical cord. This practice already has a scientific justification and has a positive effect on the well-being of the baby and the woman in labor. In addition, in this case, the risk of a decrease in hemoglobin levels is excluded.

How is the procedure done? To begin with, special clip-clamps are applied to the umbilical cord in order to finally stop the blood flow of the umbilical vessels. In this case, the first clamp falls on an area a few centimeters from the baby's abdomen, the other is located closer to the placenta.

The need for pre-clamping of the umbilical cord is due to the fact that the woman does not develop heavy bleeding after childbirth. After its dissection, the terminal holds on for some time - this is again necessary in order to avoid serious complications.

The specific time for which the terminals are left after cutting the umbilical cord, in each case depends on many factors. If a woman has a disease of the blood coagulation system, accordingly, the gap will be large. The exact time is set by the obstetrician who leads the birth process.

Rules of care

After the umbilical cord is cut, the stump needs responsible care. This is necessary in order to reduce the risk of infection, because the stump of the cut off umbilical cord is a wound surface. It takes several days to heal, during which it is necessary to take care of this area.

Usually, women are still inmaternity hospital teach the subtleties of this kind of hygiene. In addition, recommendations are being discussed at the stage of discharge of a woman from the hospital home. An important rule of care is to keep the site of attachment of the residue to the baby's tummy clean and dry.

To do this, after cutting the umbilical cord, it is enough to follow simple rules:

• Wash your hands every time before touching a baby's tummy.
• Don't dress your baby in tight clothes - at least until the umbilical cord falls off. It is better to give preference to T-shirts, vests.
• There are special diapers for newborns on sale, where there is a recess for the navel.
• Get baby air baths as often as possible.

Only in no case do not touch the stump, and even more so do not try to tear it off, even if it seems that it is about to fall off. This process should complete without outside involvement.

Emergency

We now know that the umbilical cord should not be cut immediately after the birth of the child. At the same time, as obstetric practice shows, certain clinical cases may arise when cutting it off should not be delayed.

In particular, we are talking about the Rh factor and delayed cutting of the umbilical cord. If the Rh conflict is clearly observed: when the mother and child have different Rh factors. But what is this term? Rhesus conflict is a rather dangerous pathological condition that can lead to the development of at leastserious complications. For this reason, in order to avoid many unpleasant and sometimes harmful consequences, doctors decide to immediately cut off the umbilical cord.

And if you don't touch the umbilical cord at all?

Maybe not touch the umbilical cord at all and wait until it falls off on its own? This question is of concern to many parents. In fact, the umbilical cord itself can dry out after the baby is born. As a rule, this situation is relevant in cases where parents, for some reason, only clear to them, decide to give birth at home.

It should be noted right away that this kind of practice is not welcomed by many doctors. Doctors are of the opinion that cutting the umbilical cord is a mandatory procedure. Let it be carried out not immediately after the birth of the child, but after a certain period of time. But in any case, it must be done.

Otherwise, after the pulsation of the umbilical cord is over, the process of decay will begin, which is not very good. Here and before infection is not so far away. And there and the development of serious complications can not be avoided. For this reason, it is better to approach the birth process responsibly and act according to the situation.

As a conclusion

In conclusion, it remains to wish he alth to all women, inside of whom a new life is developing. All the efforts spent are worth it for a he althy baby to be born. And for this it is worth taking a responsible approach to the procedure for cutting the umbilical cord. After all, as we now know, a lot of things depend on the correctness of its implementation.depends.

As a consolation, you can whisper good wishes to the child when the umbilical cord is cut. Then it can have a calming effect on the baby.