Jackalgirl
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2004
- Messages
- 1,801
Hello --
Could any of you medical types give me a push in the right direction, in terms of searching medical databases? I've been finding lots of articles talking about the pros and cons of cutting a newborn's umbilical cord right away, which is essentially what my doctor wants to do (I'm having a baby, hopefully, sometime in August). The majority of them state that delaying cutting the cord has better long-term benefits to the baby, primarily in the reduction of anemia and better long-term iron stores. I've also seen an article that stated there was a significant decrease in post-birth hemmorage on the part of the mother in those cases where cord cutting was delayed.
What the doctor is saying, though, is that if he delays cutting the cord, he will have to hold the baby below the level of my uterus, otherwise the baby's blood will flow back into the placenta. The analogy he gave me is that this is like siphoning gas out of a car (in other words, it's a hydraulics/gravity situation). He says that because of this, the baby will get cold, possibly run into other problems, won't be able to be on my chest, etc.
Now, I'm absolutely no scientist and I'm certainly not a doctor, but this doesn't seem right to me. For one thing, the analogy fails to take into account that there are two pumps attached to this particular fuel tank (i.e., mine and the baby's hearts) -- at least, until the placenta detaches, of course. I'd like to argue this point, but what I really need is medical reference to back up my suspicion (or to back the doc's). My doc is cool in that he's open to read whatever material I can find.
So, although finding the articles urging delayed cord cutting is cool, what I'm really looking for is reference material that talks about the actual physiological setup and process of the mother->placenta->baby connection -- something that will explain that the analogy of fuel tank->gas container is either a good one or is not, and to explain that the doctor really does or does not have to hold the baby lower than the level of my uterus to keep the baby's blood from rushing out.
Can any of you medical types point me in the right direction, maybe help me out with a good search phrase, and help me avoid the woo-doo out there?
Thanks!
Could any of you medical types give me a push in the right direction, in terms of searching medical databases? I've been finding lots of articles talking about the pros and cons of cutting a newborn's umbilical cord right away, which is essentially what my doctor wants to do (I'm having a baby, hopefully, sometime in August). The majority of them state that delaying cutting the cord has better long-term benefits to the baby, primarily in the reduction of anemia and better long-term iron stores. I've also seen an article that stated there was a significant decrease in post-birth hemmorage on the part of the mother in those cases where cord cutting was delayed.
What the doctor is saying, though, is that if he delays cutting the cord, he will have to hold the baby below the level of my uterus, otherwise the baby's blood will flow back into the placenta. The analogy he gave me is that this is like siphoning gas out of a car (in other words, it's a hydraulics/gravity situation). He says that because of this, the baby will get cold, possibly run into other problems, won't be able to be on my chest, etc.
Now, I'm absolutely no scientist and I'm certainly not a doctor, but this doesn't seem right to me. For one thing, the analogy fails to take into account that there are two pumps attached to this particular fuel tank (i.e., mine and the baby's hearts) -- at least, until the placenta detaches, of course. I'd like to argue this point, but what I really need is medical reference to back up my suspicion (or to back the doc's). My doc is cool in that he's open to read whatever material I can find.
So, although finding the articles urging delayed cord cutting is cool, what I'm really looking for is reference material that talks about the actual physiological setup and process of the mother->placenta->baby connection -- something that will explain that the analogy of fuel tank->gas container is either a good one or is not, and to explain that the doctor really does or does not have to hold the baby lower than the level of my uterus to keep the baby's blood from rushing out.
Can any of you medical types point me in the right direction, maybe help me out with a good search phrase, and help me avoid the woo-doo out there?
Thanks!
